My Life as a Reploid
by Aria6
Summary: A story set in the Megaman X series featuring an original Reploid with an interesting beginning. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_They say that once a generation, a genius is born._

_Of course, they are wrong. In a generation, many geniuses may be born. Perhaps in the distant past, this was not noticed due to child mortality and the favoring of some fields over others. Brilliant artists and writers are often not appreciated in their lifetime._

_And sometimes, the opposite occurs. A field can stagnate, advances progressing at a snails pace. Even the field itself can be lost._

Until someone takes it up...

The patio doors were open to the breeze. No sound was heard, except for the whishing of the soft curtains against the floor and the slow, rhythmic beeping of the monitoring equipment.

The girl in the chair blinked, wet her lips, and transmitted a command through a conduit implanted directly into her brain. A TV turned on, and began to change channels. Eventually, she settled on a romantic comedy featuring a young man and three women all vying for his affections. It wasn't that amusing, and finally the TV flipped off. She sighed, closing her eyes.

For a long time, there was no sound. Then the soft sound of footsteps made her open her eyes again. The chair turned slightly in response to another command, so she was looking at the doorway to the rest of the house.

Her brother stepped into the room. His hair was as blond as hers, but actually longer. Hers had been shaved off for the endless surgeries and not allowed to grow past the length of a crew cut since. It was easier on the nurses who washed her and actually more comfortable. His eyes were a warm, sympathetic blue, and her lips twitched into a smile just seeing them.

For the rest, he was homely, almost ugly. Still, she was certain some girl would want see the bright inner spirit and want him someday.

"How are you today, Jennie?" He smiled, sitting down beside her. She smiled, and a tiny computer monitor set next to her arm flashed her answer.

_A bit bored. And that wretched woman earlier insisted that I eat my spinach._ She made a face, as much as she could, as her brother laughed. _Go ahead, make fun of the cripple._

"Sorry Jennie." He said, instantly contrite. "I just can't imagine anyone making you eat spinach. She didn't force it down your throat, did she?"

_No, worse.__ She called me a puddim pie and said I needed to be a good girl and eat my spinach. I think she's mentally deficient. If she weren't so good at the bathing, I would say get rid of her._ Jeannie's lips twitched again, into the expression that served her as a smile. _How is the project coming, David? When will it be ready?_ There was burning eagerness in her eyes, and her brother took her hand.

"Soon, Jennie, soon. Have you been practicing the simulations?"

_Every chance I get. Please, let it be soon! This is a living death._ She had been trapped, completely paralyzed, since a Maverick attack six months ago.

Jeannie closed her eyes briefly, remembering. Ever since she was a little girl, she had wanted to be a dancer. It hadn't just been a child's whim, it had been a calling.

And she had been good at it. She had practiced all kinds of dances, but she had just been accepted as a lead in the New York City ballet when…

A tear ran down her cheek. As such things went, she had been lucky. Her friends and coworkers hadn't been. She couldn't name five people she knew who had escaped the wreckage that had been the downtown core… she had only been spared by a fluke. Although not much had been spared.

As it turned out, her nerves scarred easily. Her body had rejected any attempts at cyborg technology… all of them required neural connections at some level or other. The only thing that had taken was the neural tap she used to communicate and run the chair, but that was nothing new. It had been installed when she was only a child and her body had been more flexible.

Fortunately, there was more than enough money for her care and her brother's work. Their family tree had not fared well in the Maverick wars, and a great Aunt had won a lottery nearly fifty years ago. Her brother, a niece and herself were the very last left and had inherited everything. That had given them a great deal of freedom... although it had come at a ruinous price.

"It should be done in less than a week." David said soothingly, patting her hand. "Just be patient, Jennie. Be patient."

_I understand._ She tried to smile again. _I can wait a little longer. Take all the time you need._ Soon, she would be free.


	2. Chapter 2

_Wake up._

_………_

_Come on, sis, wake up! I know you're fine._

_………_

_Sis?_

_……… David?_

Sis!

Prying her eyes open, Jennie tried to focus on her brother.

For a moment, he was a complete blur. She blinked rapidly, then remembered all the simulations she had practiced in. A moment later, she managed to focus.

"David?" She said weakly, sitting up. He put a hand against her back, helping her slightly... although she was too heavy for him to help much.

But getting used to the new body was fairly easy, on a minimal level. Jennie stood up shakily, then glanced at her old body and shuddered. "Is it still…?"

"Alive? Yes, but not for long." David gave the body a quick glance, then looked away. "Here…" He pushed her towards a full length mirror. Jennie stood in front of it and stared at herself.

Her face was identical to her old one. Long, golden hair and light blue eyes. She had a very long, straight nose, high cheekbones and a pouty, sensual mouth. She thought her mouth was her best feature, and touched it with one finger. Then she posed for the mirror, managing to look winsome and sultry at the same time.

"You're awful!" Her brother laughed, seeing what she was doing. "Yes, you still look like an elf and a demon mixed into one. Ready to go break some Reploid hearts?"

"Not just yet." She examined the rest of her body. The armor he had given her was bright white, with a red belt and blue teardrop crystals set on her arms, near her hands. Similar teardrops made a four pointed pattern on her chest, the rounded ends facing outwards. It was an unusual look. Between the bulkier parts of her armor, her arms and legs were a dark grey. Her helmet had two white, upswept spikes on the sides, and was dark grey in the middle. Another teardrop crystal was set into the forehead of the armor. "Not bad, I suppose."

"Not bad? That's all?" David shook his head sadly at the ingratitude. "I spent ages working out that design. That armor is the best ceramic alloy mix you can find, and the buster is even better. One of my exclusive designs." David often made one-off weapons and items that were vastly more powerful than anything mass-produced. "And now, I think you should meet your trainer."

"Trainer?" Jennie's eyes widened. She had mentioned entering the Maverick Hunters but she hadn't thought her brother had taken that seriously. He had surprised her. "You engaged a trainer? For me?"

"Yes." He gently touched her arm, looking at her seriously. "Even if you don't join the Hunters, you'll need to learn to control your body better. Combat practice will fill that need… but Jennie, he doesn't know what you are."

They were keeping the process that had been used to transfer her to a Reploid body a secret. It could have all kinds of ramifications when it was released, so David wanted to take his time about it.

_Not that anyone else is being very careful._ Jennie thought cynically. New and often reckless advances were being made every day.

She smiled brightly, and followed her brother. This would be interesting…


	3. Chapter 3

New Life

Jennie tilted her head, glancing around the auditorium. She almost winced at the cacophonous barrage of colors that came from too many Reploids gathered in one place.

Being transferred to her new, Reploid body had been a ghastly experience. It had felt like she imagined dying would... and her body had died. Was she really the same person, or just a copy of that person? The concept was enough to give her a bad case of existential uncertainty, so she tried hard not to think about it.

After months of practice with her new body, including combat practice, she was well aware of why most combat Reploids were brightly colored. Electronic scanners tended to go haywire or get blown off in the heat of battle, leaving the combatants coping with Mark One Eyeball scanners. Friendly fire wasn't, so both Mavericks and Hunters favored bright colors and garish, unmissable insignia. It didn't always help, but that was the breaks.

Walking on the balls of her feet, Jennie walked gracefully over to a register counter. She'd found that walking that way posed no strain to her new Reploid body, and it minimized the sound she made as she walked. She would probably have to give it up eventually, when she received her armor but not everything was perfect.

Rubbing her left arm, she gave her information in a clear, calm voice. The place where her buster had been installed ached, but she hadn't dared bring it. Civilian Reploids didn't have busters.

"Name?" A very bored looking young Reploid almost sighed as he asked.

"Jennie Velazquez." The first name was original, the last name new. Both were on her new documentation that said she'd been created six months ago.

"Occupation?"

"…Dancer." Jennie looked him squarely in the face as he frowned at her. That occupation wasn't particularly believable. Dancing was mostly limited to humans, although there was a limited market catering to the Reploid audience. So, much like whores had once called themselves dancers, such a claim from a Reploid could cover a multitude of sins. The young Reploid finally shrugged, and entered it into his computer.

They quickly ran through her other vital statistics, and he told her to take a seat. She would have a real interview before taking a brief physical, and then she would be on her way.

The chairs creaked under her weight as she sat. Obviously salvaged from the school and intended for use by children, she wondered if the hard plastic would survive the day. After supporting the weight of countless Reploids, she doubted it.

"Hi." Surprised, Jennie turned her head to look at a young man sitting two seats away. He was human, which was a little startling. While humans could join the Maverick Hunters, their use was severely limited in battle. But there were other fields…

"Hello." She smiled slightly. "Are you here to become a Maverick Hunter?"

"I wish!" He sighed, shaking his head. "No… even if I wanted it, I'm not fit. See?" She tilted her head as he held out a hand which trembled faintly. "Neuro disorder from bad injuries as a child. Incurable, but I'm up for becoming a mechanic. Already good at it."

"Well, you might be repairing me someday then." Jennie said with a smile. The work in the repair bays might be less glamorous and dangerous than the actually hunting, but it was just as vital. And often it was fairly dangerous. Medics often followed the warriors to save what they could. "What's your name?"

"Huh? Oh, Jim Thomson. Hey, do you know if it's true what I've heard?" He shifted over until he was sitting beside her. She was vastly entertained by the way the Reploid he had been sitting next to previously was ignoring them both. She suspected the boy had been inflicting chatter on him for quite some time. Jennie didn't mind, though. She was in the mood to talk.

"What's that?"

"That we'll have to share rooms at the Maverick Hunter HQ, like, four to a room?" Jennie winced at that earnest query.

"I've heard that too, so I suppose we will." She said reluctantly. After the wide, airy rooms at her sister's mansion and the huge practice room that had been devoted to her exclusive use, that would be difficult to take.

But life as a Hunter wasn't about the privacy and it certainly wasn't about the money. Owing no allegiance to any one country meant that the Hunters never got direct funding from them. They ran mostly on private donations, which was only possible because of their tremendous fame. Jennie estimates that at least half of her old neighborhood had been subscribed to the donation campaign, paying a monthly amount directly to the Maverick Hunters. Other organizations were funded directly by various governments and had to abide by their rules and regulations, but the Maverick Hunters went directly to the people.

This didn't endear them to other organizations. Jennie had heard rumors of massive turf wars and enduring hostilities. She didn't know how real those rumors were but she was certain there was some truth to it.

"Damn! I hope all my bunkmates are Reploids. I snore so loud it could wake the dead." Jim shook his head in mock dismay, and Jennie choked on a giggle before sneaking a peek at him from beneath lowered lashes.

She hadn't really noticed how attractive he was. His hair was bright red and very curly, and there was a light dusting of freckles across his nose. His eyes were a bright blue, and if she had still been human she would have dated him gladly.

If she were still human. Reploids and humans didn't really date. It usually ended badly.

They talked quietly for a good thirty minutes. Jennie discovered that Jim liked cats, his favorite music was light rock and roll and he had lived in a very rural location all his life. His family was still alive and intact. Jennie felt slightly envious.

In return, he found out that she also liked cats, was fond of modern classical music, particularly Bond and really was a professional dancer. It was a fun and happy conversation.

"Jennie Velazquez?" Jennie reluctantly tore her attention away from him, seeing a Hunter holding a clipboard. "Over here, please." He motioned to a curtained off section of the auditorium. It granted at least the illusion of privacy.

The Hunter sat down across from her. He was a very humanoid reploid, with dark green armor shading to blue on her arms and legs. Jeannie couldn't judge his age at all, but she was willing to bet he was at least three years old. He was wearing the insignia of the 17'th, X's unit, and was favoring one leg. Jennie wondered if he had been damaged in combat, something long lasting and was recuperating as he worked at the recruitment fair.

Most of the interview was standard… questions about her capabilities. The Hunter was a bit disappointed to find out she had no technical skills at all, and was a bit dubious about her contention that she was an extremely new, experimental model. That amused Jennie a bit. If only he had known how experimental she truly was!

Then came the expected question.

"Why do you want to join the Maverick Hunters?" Jennie hesitated. She had been preparing for this question for days… but found that she couldn't say the false words she thought would be acceptable. She did want to help people, but to say that was her primary motivation would be a lie. It wasn't revenge, either, though. She wanted…..

"I don't want to be a victim anymore." She said abruptly, and the Hunter raised his eyebrows, inviting her to continue. "I... survived an attack. But I couldn't do anything. I kicked him and he never noticed..." That had been as a human, but it was true enough. "I can't just live my life as a normal person, knowing I'll be helpless if it happens again. I need to do something to stop it." Passion had entered her voice. "I can't just sit around!"

"I see." The Hunter nodded, looking thoughtful. "I appreciate your honesty." Jennie smiled shyly. She was sure he had heard plenty of answers that amounted to so much self-concealing BS. She was thankful he didn't seem to find her response worrisome. "Well, Jeannie, I need to tell you some things about the Hunters."

He ran through what was obviously a well rehearsed speech. Jeannie learned about each unit... there were seven in total... and was pleasantly surprised to hear her pay rate. It wasn't much, but when she added in the free room and board it became far more respectable. She would have plenty of money to enjoy herself on her time off. The amount of which would range from fair to nonexistent, depending on the current situation.

Examining the contract, Jennie nodded and finally signed, just barely remembering her new last name.

It was time to start a new life.


	4. Chapter 4

Dropping her suitcase on the floor, Jennie glanced over her new apartment at Hunter HQ. Then she let out a sad, quiet snigger.

It was worse than she had imagined. Maverick Hunter HQ seemed to be packed to the brim with new recruits and even for officers, privacy was at a premium. For rookies like herself, it was a faint dream gleaming off in the distance. Her new room had four recharging capsules taking up fully half the area available. After arriving, she had learned that humans and Reploids were always placed in separate quarters, and she could see why. Bunk beds could be stacked neatly together, and recharging capsules did fairly well with other capsules. But mixing the two would have been a right pain.

The other side of the room had a small card table and four chairs. She eyed it speculatively. It was heavy duty metal, obviously meant to take some pounding, and so were the chairs. Perhaps her roommates would like to play cards? Euchre had been a huge thing at the ballet, and she dearly missed the nightly tournaments.

The one last thing in the room was a walk in closet. Opening the door, Jennie sniggered again. Obviously, this was where she was supposed to store all her worldly goods. The closet was not particularly spacious, but there was enough room for a clothes rack and a wall full of shelves, partitioned into four rows and four columns.

_I guess that means I get one row of shelves._ Jennie sighed, then started unloading her suitcase. The clothes went quickly on the rack. Two modest but sexy dresses that could be used for formal and informal parties took their places. Two t-shirts and two jeans for when she was feeling ratty were quickly slung over hangers.

Then she turned to the shelves. A small collection of books quickly filled out her bottom slot, leaving three more. Her undergarments took up another. A perfectly lovely Japanese ivory took up the third… it was of an old man carrying a child on his back, and it was exquisitely done, an heirloom from her mother. Last, but not least, her jewelry box had pride of place in the top slot. A smile played over her lips as she looked at it. As jewelry boxes went, it was huge, and full of some very expensive pieces. Jewelry had always been a terrible weakness of hers, although she had justified the acquisitions as solid investments.

Stepping back into the room, she was startled to see someone else looking at the card table. He had walked in so quietly, she had entirely missed him. Curious, she looked him over. He was a very young looking Reploid, with grey and dark blue armor. There were stripes of red as well, and his helmet was red, white and blue. The most interesting thing about him, though, was the bright red hair and the scars on his face… they seemed to form an X right between his eyes. She wondered how he had gotten them. She wasn't particularly surprised to see a boy sharing her room… the questionnaire she had filled out had included questions about her preferences for roommates, and she didn't mind boys. Living in the dorms at University, then performing in hundreds of dances had burned away any self-consciousness about her body.

Smiling, Jennie stepped forward to offer him a hand. He smiled back, and gave her a firm, confident handshake.

"Hi, I'm Axl." He introduced himself, and she nodded gracefully.

"I'm Jennie. So you're a rookie too?" It was a normal assumption, since the rookies all came in at the same time and were naturally put in rooms together. But he shook his head.

"Not really… I, uh, had a bit of a disagreement with one of my last roommates." From the urchin grin he gave her, she had the feeling he had been positively wicked. "So I've been hoofed over to you after being banished to a couch for two weeks."

"I see." She said dryly. "Well, just don't bang the wang in front of me and I'm sure we'll get along fine." Axl gave her a brief, wide eyed look, then laughed. He had a very nice laugh, she noticed.

"Yes, ma'am! No banging the wang, ma'am!" He gave her a crisp, parade ground salute and Jennie couldn't help but laugh. Axl laughed as well, and then someone else stepped into the room.

_My lord he's HUGE!_ Jennie had to look up at the towering Reploid. Fortunately, doorsills and ceilings had been built for this sort of thing.

The newcomer was obviously not a new model. His body type had fallen out of favor years ago… and unsurprisingly so, since it was the line Sigma had come from. Fortunately, the newcomer didn't look too much like Sigma. The lack of hair was similar, but he had a normal shaped chin and overlarge, but perfectly human, brown eyes. In fact, there was a great serenity in his expression that made Jennie think of the Buddha. Although the terrible scar tracking down one side of his face was at odds with that. Axl's scars looked like ornamentation, but this one looked like someone had opened his face with a broken bottle. His armor was a dark, royal purple with golden stripes and flashes of dark blue. He was carrying a helmet in one hand… also dark purple, with antennae on the sides and a black, reflective visor.

"Hello." He said in a startlingly high tenor voice. Jennie blinked, wishing she could hear him sing. "I'm Sebastian. You are?"

"I'm Axl." Axl stepped forward with a confident smile, and they shook hands. Jennie took his hand a moment later.

"I'm Jennie." She smiled, pleased with the controlled strength in Sebastian's grip. She'd been half afraid he might accidentally crush her hand. "Welcome to the sardine can." Axl grinned, and Sebastian smiled faintly.

"Too true." He shook his head. "This place needs to expand." Jennie nodded. She had thought that the instant she saw it.

"It can't." Axl put in, and they both turned to look at him questioningly. "The property prices around it have really gone up… I mean, even at their worst the Mavericks have never dared launch an attack right on Maverick Hunter HQ! So this is prime real estate. Then add in all the Hunters fresh off the job with money burning holes in their pockets... no business is going to move without one hell of a lot of money. Not that I mind." He grinned cockily. "Wait until you see all the stuff around us!" Then he shrugged. "I hear their setting up some satellite HQ's, though."

"I heard that too. One in Albuquerque?" Jennie tilted her head. "And one in Calgary?"

"So I heard." Axl confirmed. "They're going for dry spots. Easier on the electronics."

A fourth person knocked on the door, and then cautiously peeked inside. Jennie smiled, a little relieved to see it was a girl. Then she slipped into the room, and Jennie winced faintly.

Her hair was a bright, almost neon pink. Little, sandy colored cat ears tilted to catch the sounds in the room. Her face was heart shaped, with large green eyes, a pert nose and a laughing mouth. A sandy colored tail slowly twitched behind her, flicking back and forth. Her armor was also hot pink, with some brilliant aqua marine and violent yellow thrown in, and almost eye watering to look at. Jennie finally toned down her visual receptors to cope with it.

"Hullo." She said softly with a shy smile. "I'm Dagger." Jennie glanced down, and sure enough, she had two large knives on her hips and several smaller throwing ones set into her chest armor. They all introduced themselves again, but anything else was cut off by-

"All recruits report to the training centre. All recruits report to the training centre."

"Well, see you guys later." Axl waved, and Jennie flashed him a smile as she followed Sebastian and Dagger out the door.

He smiled back, and she couldn't resist thinking how cute he was…


	5. Chapter 5

"Ohhh, I feel sick." Jennie laid her head down on the card table. "Seriously, I'm going to puke. I can't bear it."

She hadn't realized how light her trainer had been going on her until now. He had obviously not wanted to upset her brother by beating her into the ground. She'd developed a fair estimate of her own skill.

That estimate had taken a brutal beating today. By the end of her first sparring match, every deficiency had been made apparent… and the grudging approval she'd finally gotten from the veteran Hunter teaching them had made it all worth it. Just thinking about it gave her the warm fuzzies. She'd EARNED that compliment.

Dagger was slumped beside her, ears folded back. She was just as exhausted. Sebastian didn't look tired, but he didn't look pleased either. He had discovered that he was strong and powerful, but far too slow. The more agile rookies had run rings around him.

"Actually, you all did pretty good." They all looked over at Axl in disbelief. "Seriously, I talked with X and he thought you all had a lot of potential."

"X was watching us?" Dagger squeaked, looking appalled. Jennie swallowed hard, sure she must look like she had just swallowed a bug. Even Sebastian was looking a little horrified. Axl snickered at them.

"Oh sure, the unit commanders watch all the rookies a bit. I mean, their scoping you out for their units." Jennie swallowed even harder. She'd had some vague notion that rookies would end up in a "newbie unit", but, thinking about it, none of the seven units sounded like that.

The seven units included the 17'th, X's unit, and the 0th, Zero's unit. Less well known, but basically the same, were the 13'th and 5'th. There was the 18'th, which tended to be full of animal style Reploids. The 16'th was the heavy weapon unit, and tended to hold the highest percentage of humans of all the units. It wasn't any easier a unit than the others, though… the problem with heavy weapons was the lack of mobility. If the battle rapidly turned against the Hunters, the 16'th would always fare the worst. Last but not least was the 14'th. Not really a unit in the sense of the others, it was all the medical specialists, technicians and repair crews. It also included some oddball specialties like the bomb squad. Members from that squad were often detached to other squads, and wore both insignias when on detachment.

If anything, she had assumed that rookies would be sent into the 13'th and 5'th, then taken on by other units when they had more experience. But she could see how that would be hard on the 13'th and 5'th… it might make more sense for each unit to take it's own share of the rookies. And each unit commander would want to get the best they could.

"Could we get the 17'th?" Jennie finally asked, slightly awed by the idea. Axl gave her a quick grin.

"I hope so." Jennie blushed as she met his eyes, then looked down, feeling very shy. It was odd… she'd never felt this self conscious about a boy before…

A little while later, Jennie was lying in her recharger, the lid open, reading a book. It wasn't bad… a suspense/horror novel about a serial killer stalking a young woman from beyond the grave. But right now, the book wasn't keeping her attention. She sighed, closing her eyes and letting the book rest on her chest for a moment.

Then she glanced over at Axl through her eyelashes. He seemed to be doing a crossword puzzle… he was tapping his bottom lip with a pencil, and obviously thinking. Jennie smiled, watching him for a moment. He was just adorable like that.

"Axl?" She said softly, not wanting to disturb Dagger. She was hard at work on the card table, trying to assemble a three dimensional puzzle and occasionally swearing at it.

"Hmm?" Axl chewed on the end of his pencil. "Do you know what a four letter word for syndicate is?"

"Gang?" She hazarded, then shrugged. "I'm not so good at those… Axl, would you like to come to church with me tomorrow?" That got his attention, and he glanced over, startled.

"Church? You're religious?" He sounded surprised, and she scanned his face carefully.

"Well, somewhat. I don't always go in on Sunday, but I do tithe to the church. First Catholic church." She said, a little uncomfortably. Too many boys at University had seemed to think that religion was retrograde and foolish. But Axl just looked interested.

"Catholic? Weren't they the first church to accept Reploids?"

"Oh, yes!" Jennie said with some enthusiasm. She knew this subject very well. "It was soon after mass production started and a few years before the first war. The Pope was thinking really hard about the ethical issues involved, so he had some very long talks with Reploid designers. Then he talked to Reploids, and just couldn't decide, so he finally had a talk with Rockman X!"

"Really?" Axl was impressed, although it was hard to say who he thought had gotten the bigger favor, the Pope or X.

"Mmm hmm. They talked all day. It was a big philosophical discussion about all kinds of things… only X would know exactly what was said. Anyway, the Pope decided that since God created man and man created Reploids, man was the agent of God and so God also created Reploids. And since Reploids could think and make their own decisions, they must have souls, and so they would have to be admitted equally to the church."

"Ohhh. Can Reploids become priests then?" Axl asked teasingly, and Jennie blinked.

"Well, of course. What do you think Duhallan is? He's the HQ Chaplain."

"Chaplain?" Axl blinked. "I thought he was a Councilor!" Jennie giggled at his expression.

"Well, of course silly! What do you think priests do most of the time? Sit in their office and polish the brasswork?" She teased him gently, smiling. "A good priest IS a Councilor for his flock. He has to give faith-based advice." Then she made a small grimace. "And… well, Reploid priests get more training in that than humans do. Most go to help units like ours, to help people deal with casualties and combat fatigue."

"Ouch. Well… sure, I'll go. I'm not doing anything, and I've never seen a church."

"Wonderful!" Jennie reached to him, and Axl took her hand. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment-

"AHHH SHIT!" Dagger cursed, breaking the moment. Both of them glanced at her, then let go, blushing. "Stupid puzzle! I hate it. Hey, where's Sebastian? We could play Euchre!" She beamed at them both… she had completely missed the earlier conversation.

"I think he said something about hitting the Full Moon café." Jennie offered. That was a small, intimate coffee shop not too far from the Hunter HQ. "He should be back in an hour at least."

"Okay then!" Dagger darted into the closet, getting out a book of her own. "I'll read with you then until he gets back." Jennie glanced at the book, trying to spot the cover, and giggled. It was a bodice ripper romance novel.

Jennie picked up her book and started to read again. But deep inside, she was feeling warm and fuzzy again.


	6. Chapter 6

"Come on Axl!" Perky and playful, Jennie dashed ahead of him, using her dash boots for extra speed. Axl laughed and matched her easily… a few Reploids ahead dodged and favored them with a few swear words, but they were both too happy to care. "Hey, let's check our mail before we go!" Jennie slid to a stop in front of the counter and the apprehensive mail clerk. "Jennie Velazquez please! And Axl… uh… do you have a last name?"

"Nope." Axl leaned against the counter with a wide smile. "Brighten my day and tell me I have a postcard." The mail clerk turned away and looked through the pigeon holes on the wall to find…

"I'm afraid not, sir. Just bills." She passed them over to Axl, who winced theatrically as Jennie giggled. "But you, miss… you have a parcel."

"A parcel?" Who could have sent her… "Oh, of course, my… uh, creator! It's probably a care package!" That was a very nice thought. She knew from long experience living in a dorm that sharing care packages was one of the best ways to make tons of friends. No one could resist the lure of home baked brownies.

The package was surprisingly big, though. The mail clerk brought it out on a dolly.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it!" Axl urged her. Jennie frowned… a lot of people were watching now… then shrugged. Really, what did it matter if they saw? She quickly broke the seals and opened it to find…

"Ohhh, brownies!" There was a huge tub sitting on the top. She carefully pulled them out and handed them to Axl. "Don't eat them all, or we'll be peeling you off the ceiling" She grinned as he started to pry it open.

"Wouldn't… mrff… dream of it. These are good!" Jennie giggled at him, but kept digging into the crate. It was much too big for just that tub. Packing peanuts spilled onto the floor, and she silently hoped the mail clerk had a dustpan she could use.

"There's something BIG in here… Axl, can you put those down and help me?" She couldn't get a firm grip on both ends, and whatever it was had been jammed into the crate tightly. As the watchers converged on the brownies, they managed to yank it out.

"What… this looks like something you'd use to transport armor!" Axl blinked at the hard, formed plastic container, and Jennie's eyes widened. What could her brother have sent her?

Then she remembered the buster, the powerful buster she'd been forced to leave behind. And the armor upgrades…

Suddenly eager, she touched the combination lock on the case. It opened with a hiss of indrawn air.

"Ohhh." She breathed out as she lifted the buster free of the case. Everyone quieted as they saw it. Right now, her buster was the common one issued to all rookies. But this… this was far beyond that, and it showed. It was slimmer, painted and adorned perfectly for her armor, and just looked sleek and deadly.

"What is that?" Axl leaned over her shoulder, fascinated. "Your creator sent it to you? Who is he?" Most Reploids were made on assembly lines, and didn't really have creators, unless you counted the person who had created the line originally. Jennie cuddled the blaster, remembering her practices with it.

"David Herkowitz." She blinked and looked up as she heard several gasps. "What?" Most of the audience was looking puzzled… but the technicians were almost awed. And… there was a lieutenant in the audience from the 17'th who looked surprised.

"David Herkowitz? THE David Herkowitz?" A female repair technician said, awed. "The one who invented to X4 buster? The enhanced teleporter? The anti-grav units? That David Herkowitz?" Jennie blinked. She hadn't really kept up on her brother's achievements, although she had known that he had become quite a bit richer than just his inheritance. Her mind had been focused on dancing, and he never bragged about his successes.

"I… suppose so. He really didn't mention any of that." She said cautiously. "I'm a one off creation, though, with no product line."

"Herkowitz… I remember that name. He's one of the biggest contributors to the Maverick Hunters." The lieutenant commented as he stole a brownie from the tub. Jennie blinked again. She hadn't known that, but wasn't particularly surprised. Her family had no love at all for the Mavericks.

She admired the buster for a moment, and then carefully repacked it. She would have to get it installed later. She stood up, lifting it up to carry back to her room. Axl got the brownies… which had already appreciably diminished. Fortunately, it was a huge tub.

"Hold on a sec there!" Someone red dashed by and snatched a brownie from the container. Jennie stared wide-eyed after the Hunter. _Zero?_ It was the first time she'd seen the famous Maverick Hunter.

"C'mon, Jennie! Catch me if you can!" Axl lit off his dash boots, and jumped off. Jennie stared after him for a moment before lighting up her own.

"Careful with the brownies, or there'll be a lynch mob after you!" She called after him, hearing laughter behind them.

It was starting off as a wonderful day.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well, that was interesting." Axl said diplomatically, and Jennie winced mentally.

They were walking away from the church. It hadn't been a very interesting experience. The sermon had been about the duties people had to bring children into the world responsibly, which was an important issue but immaterial to a pair of Reploids.

"The choir was very nice." Jennie tried to make the best of it. "Even if the sermon wasn't good for us. I don't think we'll be making any babies!" She grinned and poked him, making Axl blush, then smile. Jennie blushed too as she thought of the implication of what she had said… that they would someday be doing what it took to make babies.

But that was a very attractive thought, actually. Jennie snuggled up close to him, and slid an arm through his, gripping Axl's hand. He blushed again as she smiled at him winsomely.

"You know, I heard there's a nice club nearby that plays salsa music and has some wonderful dancing… do you know how to dance?" She could hear the yearning in her own voice. It had been far too long since she'd had a good dance… there was always someone in the practice rooms even in the dead of night, and their room was just insanely small.

"Oh yes. It's been a while, but I still remember how." Axl looked thoughtful. "But we need to get back by noon… do we have time?" That was when exercises started on Sundays. Jennie considered the time, then shook her head.

"No, I suppose not. Well… how about on Thursday? Do you think you can get that off?" She asked hopefully. That was the free day for the rookies this week, but Axl was on an entirely different schedule.

"I'll try my best." He promised, squeezing her hand. They walked back to the base slowly, hand in hand.

Just enjoying being close.

Later…

Jennie dragged herself back into her room, and promptly collapsed into her recharger. She was truly, truly exhausted.

She had worked hard at practice, then gone down to have her new buster and other enhancements installed. The technicians had gone over her with a fine-toothed comb, scanning her repeatedly in an effort to learn all they could about David's design. Just thinking about it made her giggle wearily.

Her brother had come up with some additive to her alloy that defeated most scans. Hooking her up for medical diagnosis still worked, but not the kind of full body scans that could be used for replication. That had caused a great deal of consternation among the techs and some speculation on her brother's motives. She imagined he would be receiving a few letters from Maverick HQ soon.

_And knowing David, he'll give them my technical specs._ Outside of what he had done with her mind, the rest of her design wasn't really secret. No doubt he'd already gotten the patents.

But with no way to scan her, they had asked her to undergo a far more extreme version of the first physical she had done to enter the Hunters. Tests of speed, strength, endurance… all performed after a hard bout of training. _So tired…_

It was still a bit early to recharge, though. Glancing around slowly, her gaze lighted on the tub of brownies sitting on the card table, and Jennie smiled faintly. There was only three left. She estimated that every rookie and a good number of hunters had stopped by for them… or gotten some from a Tupperware container Axl had taken to his unit.

Just before she dropped off to sleep, Jennie had one last groggy thought.

_I wonder if brownies will get me in the 17'th?_


	8. Chapter 8

Will no one review…? No reviews makes me sad. ;;

Jennie stretched, doing her limbering exercises. Technically, as a Reploid she didn't really need them. But after years and years of dancing, starting as a child, that would have seemed profoundly unnatural.

_Besides,_ her mind whispered treacherously, _there are some guys over there admiring my ass!_ Jennie tried hard to wipe that awareness out of her mind, but couldn't stop a faint blush from touching her cheeks.

"Hi, lovely!" Startled by that familiar voice, Jennie stopped her stretching to turn and look.

"Axl? What are you doing here?" She asked, surprised. As a Hunter in the 17th, Axl ought to be doing patrols, scouting, manning the defenses… anything but coming down to the rookie training room. But he was here, large as life and his usual cocky self. Axl shrugged expressively, and then grinned.

"Oh, I got tapped to put you through a few hoops. Probably had something to do with the defanged tarantula… but we won't go there!" Of course, everyone in earshot desperately wanted the details, and a few got snarled at for not paying attention to their own exercises. "Well, let's get started." The both stepped out onto the mats, as Jennie set her buster to practice mode and Axl did the same. "I won't go easy on you!"

"If you did, you wouldn't be the man for me." Jennie purred, her voice throaty and sexy. She really wasn't interested in someone who would protect her… not as a Maverick Hunter. If Axl went easy on her, he would be crippling her training just as her first trainers had. Just kicking her ass on full power would also be pointless, but she needed to be stretched to her limits. How else could she learn?

Meanwhile, watching from above, X and Zero scanned the rookies.

The training room had a three story ceiling. It was a waste of space that had made the architects cringe, but there was just no help for it. The height was needed for flying Reploids, flying armors and Reploids with dash boots. Anything less would have been unfair to everyone.

It also made it very easy for anyone who wanted to, to watch the rookies at work. Mirrors had been set into the upper walls so officers could get a food view of the new talent. One way mirrors, so none of the rookies would choke up when they realized how much they were being observed.

"That recruitment drive was almost too much of a success." X shook his head, a little sadly. "Twice the rookies we expected, can you believe it?"

"And it's a good crop." Zero pressed a hand against the glass, pleased. "Don't forget that, X. This has got to be the best bunch of newbies I've ever seen."

"Some of the politicians are complaining of a talent drain, though, Zero." X murmured, watching the activity below. "And they're right. We shouldn't be getting so many recruits of this caliber." He winced as a rookie managed to knock himself out on another's shield. "Well, mostly."

"Well, if they hadn't been such total _pricks_ at the last UN conference we could palm a few off on them." Zero snorted. "Don't expect me to feel sorry." X sighed, but couldn't really disagree.

After the bureaucratic double dealings they'd had to contend with, there was no way to transfer rookies to other organizations without looking weak. They were in direct competition and any perceived advantage would be seized on.

X glanced over the rookies again, and his eyes were caught by a single rookie facing off against a familiar Hunter. He frowned.

"What is Axl doing down there?" He demanded, then grimaced as Zero turned to grin at him. "Don't tell me, let me guess. A disciplinary action?"

"Got it in one. Signas told him to go play with the rookies if he thought he was so hot." Zero eyed Axl's sparring partner, wincing slightly as she kicked him in the face. "There's a little hellcat. Who is she?" X was much better at keeping up with the rookies than Zero. And in this case, he had no trouble remembering.

"Jennie. She's one of Axl's new roommates." X couldn't quite keep from sounding smug, and Zero groaned.

"You bastard! Already gotten dibs on the best of the rookies. I should smack you." X didn't bother hiding a smile at Zero's aggrieved tone.

Generally, rookies were assigned to a unit according to their room situation. If roommates got along well, it made sense to foster the bonds of friendship they had already developed by putting them into a unit together. And given that Axl could make enemies just as easily as friends, his roommates would be slid neatly into X's unit.

"The other two are only average, but she is something special, isn't she?" X murmured, watching the battle. "She has no idea how good she is."

"Ya think? The good ones usually get swelled heads." Zero had painful experience with that phenomenon. But X shook his head.

"No, she doesn't realize how much time the trainers are putting into her. And she never seems to realize when their going all out." It was sort of amusing. X hadn't talked to her himself… he tended to make the rookies nervous… but Axl had spent a long time with her and was willing to talk about it. He said she was full of praise for how the trainers "stretched her to her limits" without actually beating her into the ground. X knew from the trainers that they weren't beating her into the ground because they couldn't.

And right now, Axl was introducing her to one of the dirtier tricks in his combat repertoire. Zero snickered as she went rolling, stunned. Then he turned his attention to the other rookies.

"Well, if you get her I want that one." Zero pointed to a short rookie with slate grey eyes and dull blue armor. He was already developing a reputation as a deadly marksman.

"He'd do well in your squad." X conceded, and then frowned as he watched one rookie. "That Reploid, the one in yellow…She's too slow. Maybe she should be transferred to the fourteenth. I think she has technical training…"

After the practice…

Jennie groaned as she looked at herself in the showers. Axl hadn't gone easy on her, and she was sporting a few actual dents where powerful blows had landed. Jennie massaged one of her breasts, making a face. It still ached from that dash boot assisted punch Axl had hit her with.

_Oh well, them's the breaks._ Picking up the soap, she started to lather herself, ignoring the other girls around her as they chatted quietly. The showers were just like the ones she'd suffered through in the dorms… no privacy whatsoever.

"Jennie!" She heard a high pitched squeal from behind her, and turned lazily to see Dagger squeezing through to take a shower beside her. "Have you heard the news? Have you?"

"No. What is it? Axl's on probation?" She wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he were. But Dagger shook her head.

"No, but there's a rumor going around that we're going to be assigned to X's unit! Can you believe it?" Dagger bounced excitedly, then had to grab onto Jennie's arm as he feet started to slide.

"Careful!" Jennie laughed, steadying her. "And no, I don't, not until I see it. The rumor mill is notoriously unreliable. What else is it saying?"

"That Rasp and his friends are going to get into Zero's unit. Oh, and Marco's team is going to be in the 16'th."

"Good for them. They're very good with the rail guns." Jennie started soaping herself again.

"Oh, and one last thing!" Dagger grinned. "I have a date!" Jennie nearly dropped the soap in shock.

"Oh… that's wonderful! Who with?" She beamed at her friend who beamed right back.

"Subaru, he's a hunter from the 5'th! I hope you get to meet him soon, he's soooo nice!" Grabbing her own bar of soap, Dagger started to lather herself. "He's so cute, too!"

"He sounds wonderful. Would you like to borrow some jewelry?" She offered graciously. She'd noticed that Dagger didn't have a jewelry box, and had sometimes looked at hers enviously.

"Could I? I just LOVE jewelry." Dagger sighed. "I love it SO much but I never could afford any."

"Of course. Just bring it back… brownies come and go, but jewelry is forever." Dagger nodded, and started to soap her hair.

"No problem. I'd never want to loose your jewelry. So how are things going with Axl?" Dagger grinned, then poked Jennie in the side. "He's so cute" Jennie tried not to blush, but being naked, it wasn't easy to hide.

"Oh, he's nice… we're going to be going out dancing on Thursday."

"Ohhh! Where, where? Tell me everything! And what did you do on Sunday?" Dagger demanded, and Jennie smiled as she started to relay all the details.

It was nice to have a girlfriend.


	9. Chapter 9

"Pass." Axl threw down his cards in disgust. Jennie sighed, and they all tossed theirs in as well.

"What garbage." Dagger said after she examined the cards. "I've never seen that bad a split before. Oh well… my deal." And she swept up the Euchre deck, quickly shuffling and dealing.

All of them but Axl were trying not to think about tomorrow. It had been almost three months, and their basic training was done. Tomorrow was graduation. They would be getting their unit assignments, and this year that was significant like no other.

The new HQ in Calgary had just been finished. They were still putting final touches on it, but it was only a matter of time before the move started. It had already been decided that the 5'th and the 13'th would be going. The 17'th and the 0'th worked too well together to justify splitting them up, even if their commanders hadn't been totally opposed to the idea.

With them, they would be taking a good half of the 16'th and the 14'th. They would be forming new units, tentatively named the 19'th and the 20'th. The 18'th would be staying, but they would eventually be going to the new facility in Albuquerque. That construction had just started, though, and could take as long as two years.

It reminded Jennie of a beehive that had gotten too big and needed to swarm. She was glad they would be having more space. She had been wondering where on earth they would put the next class of rookies, but now enough rooms would be free. Beginners like themselves would still be four to a room, but at least there would be more space in the recreational facilities.

It was sad, though. Friends were going. They would still be fighting together, but not sharing each others lives on a regular basis. Hunters were already saying goodbye to friends and colleagues. Even within the units staying, some were going to help give the new units the command experience they would need. Dagger had already cried on Jennie's shoulder about losing contact with Subaru when he left.

Only Axl wasn't worried. He was with the 17'th, staying right where he was, and almost all his friends were staying. They were probably staying too, but there was always a nagging uncertainty…

"Pick it up." Jennie said decisively when the bidding reached her. Grumbling, Dagger picked up the ten of clubs and put it in her hand, discarding a card. That made clubs trump, and Axl led a spade.

In the end, she and Axl lost by 3 points. Axl shrugged with a grin, and then stood up.

"I think that's enough for me. I have a long patrol tomorrow."

"Me too." Dagger stood up with a yawn. "Oh, Jennie, here's your necklace." She passed over the necklace she had taken to borrowing most of the time… A white gold chain with pink sapphires and tiny emeralds dangling from it. Jennie took it with a smile. She had a few plans for it.

"Fine by me." She took the cards, putting them away in the box. It was getting quite late. "Good night." Sebastian watched them get into their rechargers, and then turned out the light before getting into his own.

Tomorrow would be a long day.

The next day…

"Front and centre, recruits!" The soft, wave-like sounds of whispering quickly halted as the rookies found their places. Parade ground marches were not something the Maverick Hunters excelled at… a more useless skill could hardly be imagined in a fight with Mavericks… but they did practice it. There were sometimes awards and presentations that required it. Right now, the rookies were arrayed neatly in rows and had been drilled on how to leave them and how to receive their insignia. The room had been decorated for the ceremony, and great banners with the insignia of each unit were draped on the walls.

All the unit commanders were on the stage, waiting. Jennie blushed lightly as she examined them. She knew X and Zero on sight, of course. The commander of the 18'th was a golden hawk Reploid that reminded her of pictures she had seen of Horus. The commander of the 16'th was a grizzled human with a thick beard and burning eyes. Rumor had it that he had never seen a gun he couldn't handle and inspired an almost fanatical loyalty in the heavy weapons unit. The commander of the 5'th was a tall, female Reploid in black armor. Her armor was speckled with red crystals, and Jennie had heard nothing about her, good or bad. The unit commander of the 13'th was a young male human in dark blue who radiated almost as much serenity as Sebastian. Signas, in overall command of all the units, stepped forward to begin.

"This is the end of your training, and the beginning of the next stage of your life at Maverick Hunter HQ. You've all done well, or you wouldn't be here." He looked them over, and Jennie felt for a moment that he was looking directly at her. "In one way or another, you have all excelled and been proven worthy. Now, you will be taking up your insignia and joining your permanent units." He stepped away from the microphone, and Zero stepped forward to begin calling up the rookies for his unit.

There were a few cheers when popular rookies were named, and Jennie joined in when Rimshot was called for Zero's unit. He was a good one, always willing to help someone with their aim.

Once Zero was finished, the commander of the 18'th went, and Jennie clenched her hands nervously as she realized they were going by number, counting down, although not to zero. That meant X's unit would be next and the moment of truth would be at hand.

X stepped up to the mike and gave them all a warm smile. Then he began reading his own list. After a few names, she heard…

"Jennie Velazquez!" Feeling almost as if she was floating, she stepped out of her row and marched around, onto the stage. X smiled at her, pressing her insignia into one hand as he shook her other. "Good work. Welcome to the 17'th."

"Th-thank you, sir." Blushing a fiery red at her stammer, Jennie stepped back to leave the stage, heading to her place in her unit. She held the insignia tightly in her palm, feeling the ridges of it. She had made it into the 17'th!

"Dagger!" Dagger's squeal of delight made a soft laugh pass through the rookies. Then… "Sebastian!" Now, Jennie felt positively euphoric.

_We're going together. Together…!_

Later…

Jennie lay in her recharger, too keyed up to shut down. Then she remembered what she had planned to do…

"Dagger?" She spoke softly. "Are you awake?"

"Yes?" The equally soft voice came out of the darkness. "What is it?"

"I have something for you." She passed over a tiny box. She could almost feel Dagger's puzzlement as she held it, then interest as she opened it.

"What…a chain?" She said, puzzled as she touched the contents.

"Guess which one." Jennie grinned as Dagger puzzled that out, then melted into an emotional puddle.

"Oh Jennie… thank you so much! It's so expensive… oh, thank you!" Dagger sniffed softly, touched by the gift of the necklace she had admired so much and borrowed every chance she could. She reached out to touch Jennie's hand. "Thank you."

"That's so sweet." Axl's voice came from Jennie's other side, and she blushed. "I'm curious, though… is Sebastian the only one recharging, or are we all just lying here in the dark?"

"We're all lying here in the dark." Came a familiar tenor voice, and Dagger giggled.

"Does anyone want to play Euchre?"


	10. Chapter 10

Jennie clasped her hands together, trying to present a calm face to the world. This was her first mission. Her first battle. An assault against a Maverick stronghold.

As their transport came in for a landing, she started to shake as a wild excitement rose in her breast. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt in training. In training, she'd only felt resolute and focused. Now… she still felt focused, but she was so excited and so… angry. But why was she excited?

"Don't be afraid, Jennie." Dagger said softly, misinterpreting her shivering. "Remember what X said. Look to your friends and you'll all be fine." She was repeating the blue hunter verbatim. Jennie suddenly remembered a poem she had once read… Kipling, she thought it was.

_Take open order, lie down and sit tight, and wait for your help like a soldier._

_Wait, wait, wait like a soldier._

_Soldier of the Queen._

Shuddering, she tried not to add the last verse. But she couldn't help thinking about it.

_And when you're dying and left on __Afghanistan__'s plain,_

_And the women come out to cut up what remains,_

_Roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,_

_And go to your God like a soldier._

_Go,__ go, go like a soldier._

_Soldier of the Queen._

"I'm not afraid, Dagger." Although that poem did interject a note of fear into her emotions, which only seemed to make the excitement stronger. "I'm angry and…" How could she explain the strange exaltation that was creeping over her?

The transport slammed to a halt, and with the ease of long practice, they all slammed off their harnesses. Then the doors opened, and there was no time left. The landscape revealed would have been beautiful… a field spotted with lovely poplar trees… if it hadn't been for the Maverick fortress, squatting in the middle of it like a repulsive toad.

Jennie dashed out of the transport in perfect order and began her run towards the base. Another transport landed nearby, and disgorged Zero's unit. They went screaming towards the base on hoverbikes, easily passing her. Jennie had to suppress a scream of rage at them. She wanted to be first!

But even in the midst of her wild emotions, she was still focused. She stayed clear and true, taking the zig zag pattern that offered the best hope for avoiding enemy heavy weapons. The boom and explosion of the 16'th's weapons hitting the enemy was glory to her ears, and craters bloomed in the walls of the Maverick's fortress. Then a crater exploded in front of her, and she leaped over the dust plume.

Excitement sharpened at the close call, she finally reached a massive hole that had been rent in the Maverick's fortress. Enemies reached her and fell before her, as she fired a charged up shot into the hole, then peppered them with brutal accuracy.

She was vaguely aware of Dagger following, and took out a Maverick about to aim at her. Then Axl was by her side, grinning and flashing her a quick thumbs up. Sebastian was behind them, a little slower but unstoppable as a tank.

More Mavericks attacked, little better than drones. As the wild excitement and rage filled her again, Jennie suddenly realized what had to be happening to her. Her family was Nordic, and there had always been a myth they were descended from the Norsemen of legend… Berserkers.

Then the exaltation took her to new heights, and nothing concerned her but the battle.

Elsewhere, but not very far away…

"All units, the bombs are in place! Pull out!" Came the order, and Axl broke off his attack to dash back out. Most of the Mavericks had been trashed anyway.

He'd lost track of the others. In the middle of the furball, it was easy to get separated from your friends. But he met Dagger and Sebastian on the way out. She was panting, and he was ignoring a gaping wound in his side, but both were still going concerns.

"Where's Jennie?" He yelled to them over the crack and rumble of heavy weapons, still pounding the life out of the fortress. Dagger gave him a wide-eyed look.

"We thought she was with you!" Forcing himself to stay calm, Axl keyed his communicator. She had probably gotten the order and already started back.

_Unless her comm. was disabled._ A treacherous thought informed him. It wasn't impossible. Zero had suffered that problem once…

"Jennie, are you there? Jennie?" He shot at another Maverick, still heading for the exit as he spoke into his communicator. "Jennie!"

_Hsst__… fsst… A… xl! Shut… pzzt! _So her communicator was working, just not well.

"Jennie, you have to get out. They've planted the bombs to blow this place up, and they're going to detonate as soon as we're out." If she wasn't out by then, too bad. They hadn't waited for Zero last time either… but then, everyone had just assumed he was on someone else's transport. It had been a near thing.

_Shut up!_ That came through crystal clear, and Axl blinked. _Mav__… fsst… gen… ral… fight… shu… pzat!_

"A Maverick General? You're fighting a Maverick General?" No wonder she didn't want to hear about little things like explosives detonating any minute. She might not even have a minute. "Jennie, where are you? Answer me! Where?"

_Ro… zzzt… Ro… pzt… Roof! Kzat! H… me? Roo… pzt!_

"The roof?" Dagger heard him, and cursed in tearful rage. They were almost to the transports, as far from the roof as they could possibly be. Sebastian only looked at him sadly. Jennie might as well be dead, if she were that far away. Axl glanced around frantically, trying to think of something, anything that could reach her and get her away in time. She wouldn't even be able to make it to the door the way Zero had.

Then his eyes fell on the transport.

"The transport!" He turned to look at his friends. "We'll take it back to get her. Are you with me?" They both stared at him, shocked at first. Then Dagger grinned maniacally and Sebastian smiled seraphically.

It was totally against their orders and they could very well be court marshaled. And no one cared a bit.

"Right behind you, Axl! Let's highjack a transport!"


	11. Chapter 11

"Everyone out!" The group of Hunters from the 17'th were very confused, as they unhooked their harnesses and left the transport. But no one was quite willing to challenge Axl… maybe they somehow hadn't heard the order?

And they were more than far enough from the way from the blast site, anyway. Not having a transport would just delay their return slightly.

"What in HELL are you guys doing? Signas is going to gut you for this!" The transport pilot snarled, trying to ignore the gun Dagger was pointing at his head.

"Just go along with us. All will be well." Sebastian said soothingly, and the pilot calmed down slightly. It was hard to stay upset with Sebastian.

"And where do you want me to go? Hawaii?" The pilot asked sarcastically, and the communicator suddenly snapped on.

_Axl__, come in! What game are you playing at over there? _It was Zero… X must have been busy with something or lost his communicator. Axl hesitated, hand over the communicator as he considered shutting it off. Then he shrugged and answered.

"Jennie is on the roof fighting the Maverick General. Her comm is malfunctioning, and we're going back for her." Iron resolve entered his voice. "No matter what you say. Sir."

_That cowardly son of a bitch! That was where he went!_ There was a long pause, then Zero came back. _Okay Axl, I've talked to Signas. You've got ten minutes to get her before we blow this puppy. Got it?_

"Got it." Axl nodded sharply, then grabbed for a handhold as the transport jerked into motion. "Hey! What are you…"

"You heard the man." Snapped the pilot. "Ten minutes! Come on, baby, don't fail me now." He crooned to the machine as the transport fired up. The transport squealed in mechanical torture as he turned it towards the base, picking up speed.

"Dagger, Sebastian! Take the guns!" Axl ordered, and the two ran to obey. The transports had some weapons, mainly for defense. Now they would be used for offense. Axl went to the side of the transport and threw open the main doors.

"Woof!" He barely maintained his balance in the wind, and wondered if he should have told Sebastian to do this… he was much heavier and stabler then Axl or Dagger.

But it was too late to worry about that. Axl stared at the rapidly approaching Maverick HQ, sharpening his gaze until he could see Jennie clearly.

His heart clenched as he saw the brutal damage she had suffered. Her armor was scorched, sliced so deeply circuits were sparking in places. Her right arm was limp and useless, dragging at her and upsetting her balance. But the expression on her face made it clear that she was far from beaten. Her eyes burned with an unholy joy, and her face was twisted into a fixed snarl.

And the Maverick General didn't look happy at all. Axl's eyes widened as he took in the damage on the Maverick… an animal type, a black and gold eagle. Some of the rents in his armor had obviously come from a beam saber but it looked like Jennie had given as well as she had got. The scorches from her souped up buster were obvious, and as he watched the Maverick dodged a charged up shot but got hit by several small ones.

"When we get close enough, fire on him!" He ordered Dagger and Sebastian.

"Aye aye, sir!" Dagger caroled back. Then Axl waited, concentrating on keeping his balance as they got in closer.

The Maverick didn't notice them until it was far too late. Dagger and Sebastian weren't from the 16'th, and their first shots went wide. One of the second went wide, too… but the other slammed home, knocking the Maverick out of the air. Axl could faintly hear Jennie's shrill scream as she took full advantage of that and released a charged up shot on her enemy.

The Maverick disappeared in a boil of light, and Jennie looked around wildly for whoever had helped her. Her eyes widened as she spotted the transport… and the familiar person standing in the hatch.

"Axl!" She screamed, running to the edge of the roof. She had caught enough of Axl's transmission to know that she was in danger from explosives, although the details were a bit fuzzy.

"Why aren't you landing?" Dagger yelled at the pilot.

"We have three minutes left, that's why!" The pilot cursed them all vividly, and Axl snarled back.

"Then get closer!" Then he knelt, leaning out of the hatch. "Jennie, jump! JUMP! Catch my hand!"

_Jump?_ Jennie stared up at him wildly. It was so far, but there was desperation on Axl's face. The transport bumbled closer… Jennie threw caution to the winds, and jumped, activating her dash boots at full thrust.

It was almost enough. But not quite. She fell short and slammed into the hull, digging the fingers of her left hand into the smooth metal. Desperation lent her frantic strength and she managed to hold on, fingers penetrating the steel alloy with all her might.

It wasn't enough. Jennie looked down, gripped by sheer terror as the landscape beneath her twisted. The pilot wasn't waiting and the wind threatened to rip her away from her frail perch.

"JENNIE!" Suddenly, Axl was sliding out of the hatch and she gasped.

"Axl, NO!" He gripped her arm but his feet were touching nothing. They began a slow slide down the hull, and Jennie thought wildly, _Axl__ no we're both going to die-_

Then large black hands gripped Axl's feet. At that moment, Sebastian's face looking down at them was the best thing she had ever seen.

He dragged them in easily, and then slammed the transport doors shut. Jennie stared at them both, speechless for a moment as she tried to catch her breath.

"Axl… Sebastian…" She managed, eyes filling with tears. "I'm going to kiss you both!" She grabbed Sebastian and kissed him firmly on the cheek. Then she released the startled Reploid, and did the same for a slightly more prepared Axl. His kiss was on the lips, and for a moment, she was lost in the sensation as his tongue slipped between her lips… His arms going around her…

"Ohhh, Jennie!" Unable to contain herself, Dagger hugged them both. But there was room for three, and Axl threw an arm around her as well. Jennie gasped as the kiss ended, and they all burst out laughing. Sebastian watched them with a slightly puzzled, but happy smile.

"You people are all nuts. Nuts nuts nuts…" The pilot grumbled. That only added to the lunatic hilarity of the moment, and Jennie finally collapsed against Axl, exhausted and drained.

"Oh! It's so good to be alive!"


	12. Chapter 12

By the time they had reached HQ, any humor in the situation had drained away. The transport had picked up all the stranded hunters, who had had a variety of reactions to the daring rescue, ranging from disbelieving to congratulatory. Jennie had a bad feeling that the disbelieving were right on the money when they said…

"You guys are SO going to get it." An older Hunter is yellow armor said, shaking his head.

"I always do." Axl shrugged as much as the shock harness would allow. The Hunter shook his head again.

"That was for the tarantula and playing pranks on your roommate. You disobeyed orders this time… you're dogfood, buddy."

"We already got the freaking picture." Jennie snapped, exhausted, hurt and annoyed. She didn't like to hear what her friends were in for. She had been the cause of it, but she was unhappily aware she would get off lightly. The only charge against her was recklessness, not disobedience. Jennie would much rather have shared her friends' punishment, since they had risked it for her.

Dagger's ears had wilted at all the pronouncements of doom, but Sebastian appeared to be practicing Zen. The Hunter turned his attention to him.

"How can you be so calm when Signas and X are going to rip you a new one?" He demanded, and Sebastian only smiled.

"My soul is calm because my heart is pure." He replied serenely. The Hunter stared at him for a moment, then shook his head and mumbled something about insanity. Jennie was just glad he had stopped pestering them.

"Oh, Axl… I'm so sorry for getting you into this." She said quietly to him, and he smiled back.

"It's nothing to worry about, Jennie. Communicator failures happen to the best of us." That reply made her want to shrivel and die. Because…

The transport finally came to a smooth halt at the landing pad. Everyone exited… and, sure enough, X, Zero and Signas were waiting for them. Signas was looking particularly pissed off, while X was serious. Zero just looked amused, but they weren't in his unit. He wasn't giving the dressing down.

X stepped forward as Signas glared away the straggling Hunters who were obviously hoping to overhear the proceedings. X regarded them for a moment.

"So what exactly happened?" He asked. After a brief hesitation, Axl quickly sketched the whole situation, including the fact that Dagger had held the pilot at gunpoint… under Axl's direction.

"I see. Well, that was bravely done. We're lucky you all survived." Was X's first, mild words. Axl started to relax, and even managed a grin. Dagger and Jennie also relaxed a little, while Sebastian still appeared to be meditating.

"Did he say at ease?" Signas snapped, and they tensed, apprehensive.

"You three are fined three weeks pay." X said, no longer mild. "Two weeks for disobeying orders and another week for threatening a fellow member of your unit. Consider yourselves on probation." Axl and Sebastian both took that fairly well… Axl from long experience, Sebastian philosophically. Dagger's ears drooped, and she looked down at her feet. Then X directed his attention to Jennie. "Why didn't you get out when we made the call? Was your communicator broken the whole time?"

Jennie swallowed hard. That question was exactly what she had been expecting, and it was what made her feel so guilty. She could only answer honestly…

"No. No, it wasn't. I just…" She looked down at her feet. "I lost my head, sir. I was so… so focused on fighting and everything that the sounds over the communicator were just noise, until I was in trouble. I'm sorry, sir." She glanced back up to see X regarding her unemotionally, and Zero… grinning?

"What exactly did you feel in combat, Jennie?" X asked gently, and she blinked. How could he have known that she had a strange reaction?

"It was… exciting, sir." She blushed. "It feels wrong saying this, but, I enjoyed it. I want to do it again…" She trailed off, hoping she didn't sound quite like a homicidal maniac. X sighed, then smiled faintly.

"That's called battle fever, Jennie, and some of us have problems with it." His glance towards Zero was full of meaning, and Zero shrugged. "It's rare, but not unknown. You'll need extra training to learn how to pay attention in spite of it." Jennie nodded, feeling grateful. She didn't want to get her friends in trouble ever again. "But for now, you're fined two weeks pay for recklessness in battle. Don't let it happen again. Dismissed!"

Later in the evening, Jennie was in one of the practice rooms. But there was no practice going on.

It had been turned into an impromptu dancing zone. With the battle won, everyone was celebrating… celebrating their victory and the euphoria of still being alive. And many were trying to numb the pain of loss.

Most units had suffered light casualties, but that only made the particular losses more painful to the sufferers. For those who had lost a lover or best friend, other friends were busy getting them drunk. The 0'th, in particular, was partying hard. In one of the ironies of warfare, the most veteran of units had suffered a disaster: The loss of a transport. The hit had been a freak occurrence. Transports landed far out enough for the chance of a hit to be minimal, and the covering fire of the 16'th made such hits even more difficult for the Mavericks. But a random shell had gotten through. The transports were made to deal with such things, but there was only so much that could be done. Between the armor, the shock harnesses and the fire retardant foam that was part of the transport's safety features, almost half the Hunters on the shuttle had been saved. Many critically injured. But a good twenty were dead, rookies and veterans alike. It hurt a lot.

But the dance helped to forget, and Jennie loved it. It had been a while since she'd had a chance to really dance…

Axl caught her as she whirled into his arms, and laughed. Jennie grinned back at him. She had been a little surprised to find out he was an excellent dancer.

The energetic rock song finished, and changed to a slower love ballad. Jennie blushed lightly as Axl pulled her close, and slid his arms around his waist as they slow danced. She loved songs that made for wild dancing, but slow songs also had an appeal when there was someone you liked close… And unlike many others, his hands were stopping just above her buttocks. Jennie had always hated it when men used slow dances to cop a feel.

"Axl?" She murmured into his ear, her breath tickling him. He nuzzled her cheek, making a small, inquiring sound deep in his throat. "Would you like to go to the garden?" Axl pulled back a little, startled. The garden was one of the few places in the base secluded enough for romantic trysts. Jennie gazed deeply into his eyes, then smiled playfully.

"I think it's time. Don't you?" Axl blushed, but nodded. They walked out hand in hand, and Jennie blushed as a few people whistled. Everyone could guess what they were up to.

The garden was not unoccupied. Jennie studiously ignored some of the sounds coming from the more secluded areas. The 5'th and 13'th hadn't left yet, and with space still at a premium, only an absolute idiot would interrupt what was going on.

Soon, they found a secluded corner to sit together. Jennie cuddled up to Axl as he nuzzled her, then spoke.

"Axl… would it bother you if I were human?" She had to know now, before she did this. Axl pulled back slightly, confused.

"Why would you ask that?" The question was coming out of nowhere. Jennie bit her lip lightly, then pulled something out of a pocket.

"Here… read this." She handed him a piece of paper, and Axl unfolded it, puzzled. It was a news article.

"This is about your creator…" He read it over carefully. "The Jennie buster?" He grinned at her, and she winced. Her brother had decided to name her prototype buster after her, but that wasn't the important part.

"Keep reading." She snuggled against him, resting her cheek on his chest as he read.

"Transferring a human to a Reploid body?" She could almost feel the moment when it clicked, and Axl gently touched her cheek. "…Who are you really?"

"Jennie Herkowitz." Jennie nuzzled his neck lightly, ignoring his indrawn breath. "He's my brother… I was paralyzed in a Maverick attack." She looked up as Axl touched her hair, gently stroking it.

"That explains so much…" The care packages, the prototype buster. Axl smiled at her, and Jennie relaxed. "It doesn't matter, Jennie. It won't matter to anyone else, either… you're a Reploid now." The problems with Reploids and humans getting together were mostly practical. Babies, family, the weight difference… but not all were practical, and Jennie smiled happily.

"Good…" He silenced her with a kiss, and she gripped his shoulders tightly…

Elsewhere…

"Where is Jennie?" Dagger scowled, looking at her cards. "She and Axl were going to play rummie with us…" Sebastian laughed softly.

"I saw them leave the dance floor together." He said with a slow smile. "To go to the gardens."

"Really?" Dagger's ears flattened slightly in surprise. "They're going to do it?"

"I think so." Sebastian frowned at his cards. "Do you have a five?"

"Go fish. Well, it's about time!" Dagger grinned gleefully. "They're just perfect for each other!" She sighed. "If only Subaru were staying…" Neither of them had seen the point in a long distance relationship, so they had both regretfully said goodbye.

"Mmm hmm." Sebastian nodded, taking a card. "Do you really want to play Go Fish?" He found the game mind numbing and rather tedious. Dagger flicked her ears.

"Not really… how about monopoly?"


	13. Chapter 13

Jennie growled as she evaded a slash from Zero's saber.

She hadn't been expecting X and Zero to take over her training… she'd assumed they would just speak to her trainers about her problem. But it seemed she had been wrong. Zero was running her through her paces as X watched, and Jennie was suffering from the same excitement and rage as before…

She heard something, but it was immaterial. All she wanted to do was get past her enemies guard. She dashed forward, planning to-

"OW!" Something hit her in the back, hard, knocking her to the ground. She rolled over with a snarl to see who had interrupted her practice.

X was standing there, expression stern. He had fired a low level shot at her! But why…?

"If you had been listening to your communicator, you would have heard me say, "Look out behind you!"" Jennie blushed scarlet, mortified at her lapse. "Let's try it again." She looked up at Zero, who smiled sympathetically.

"It's a rough school, but it works in the end." Then he chuckled. "Sigma and Wyorli were the ones to do this to me!" Jennie's eyes widened at that… but Sigma had been a commander when Zero had been a rookie. It was hard to imagine Zero as a newbie, but it had to have been true at some point.

"Yes sir!" She bounced back to her feet, tired but still game. She needed to master this, for her friends if not herself.

The next day…

Jennie squinted, protecting her eyes against the wind, her hair flowing behind her like a wave of gold. Even at the speeds she was traveling, the air was hot, and so dry it felt like it was leeching all the moisture out of her skin.

The hoverbike beneath her suddenly bucked and she swore, fighting with it for a moment. It was old and tired, in need of repairs. Axl was just ahead of her on a better model, and he glanced back at her with an impish grin.

As Maverick Hunters, they had permission to break all the speed limits, and the result was an exhilarating ride. The long, flat roads were perfect for going all out and the scenery was spectacular. Jennie gazed around alertly, her eyes constantly shifting as she searched for any sign of trouble. But all she saw was the windswept desert, decorated with scrub brush and cacti. Large rocks rose from the plain, orange and brown in color. Truly, it was a glorious vista, a land of barren beauty that made her want to stop to just quietly soak in the tranquility.

But, alas, they had a job to do. Jennie continued to scan the desert, paying only peripheral attention to a Winnebago coming in the opposite direction. It was old, badly beaten with peeling paint. No Maverick would have been caught dead in it.

She was utterly shocked when it swerved towards them, forcing them both off the road. Fortunately, the hoverbikes adjusted easily to the transition and they blazed over the nearby brush, before slipping back onto the road.

_Kzt__… What an asshole!_ Axl's voice came through over the communicator, and Jennie grimaced.

"Complete asshole." She agreed. "Maybe he didn't like our speed." Some people disliked the Hunter exemption from traffic codes.

Of course, there was a possibility that the driver didn't like Hunters or Reploids, or both, but she preferred to believe in general malice than bigotry.

_I should follow him and jump the back of that dirtmobile._

"He'd deserve it, but we don't need it right now." They were both still on probation from the escapade at the Maverick HQ. The communicator managed to reproduce Axl's sigh perfectly.

_I guess your right. Too bad, I'd have loved to teach him a lesson._ They continued in silence for a while, seeing nothing interesting but a blue, four door sports car. It was parked by the side of the road, on the same lane the Winnebago had been driving down.

They flashed past it quickly, but Jennie was left with a peculiar feeling that something wasn't quite right. She frowned, slowing slightly as she tried to understand what was bothering her. Then her eyes widened as she realized…

"Axl? Can we go back to that blue car?"

_Sure, I guess. Why?_

"Something funny. The doors were open, did you notice?"

_No. That is a bit strange. Okay._ They had encountered nothing at all interesting so far, so Axl made a sharp U-turn, throwing up a cloud of dust into Jennie's face. She coughed, eyes watering, but followed at a slower speed.

"Watch the dust…" She mumbled as they came to stop near the car. She frowned as she looked at it. Three of the four doors were open. She put her hoverbike into park as Axl slowly walked toward the car, his gun out.

"Holy hell!" His surprised exclamation brought her over running. Axl was putting away his weapon and kneeling down beside the front door. Jennie almost gagged as she realized the dark liquid he was kneeling in was blood.

A human was sitting in the front seat, barely alive. Axl carefully eased him out, and Jennie gasped as she saw his injuries. Someone had shot him, once in the chest and once in the gut, with a weak, civilian style firearm. Axl looked up at her helplessly, obviously clueless about what to do with a human. Jennie quickly knelt down beside him, and pressed a hand against the gut wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

It didn't seem to help much, but the man's eyelids flickered. He was a dark haired man, middle-aged, and would have been handsome if he hadn't been pale as milk. At first, his eyes were out of focus but then he oriented himself on her. Jennie was startled by the desperation in his face.

"Ellen… Marjie…" Jennie blinked at that. "Help…"

"It's alright sir. I've contacted an ambulance." Axl said as soothingly as he could manage. It wasn't really his style. But the man only became more agitated.

"Not… me! Wife… daughter… they took…" He swallowed, a wet, tearing sound that made Jennie cringe.

"Someone kidnapped your wife and daughter?" She questioned. "Who?"

"Men… two. Forced us off the road… help… them…" He gasped, unable to speak further. Axl's and Jennie's eyes met in grim surmise. It was too much of a coincidence that this man was forced off a road, and the Winnebago they had passed had tried exactly the same maneuver on them.

Jennie looked down at the man, and her breath caught in her throat. He was so still… she quickly searching for a pulse, and found nothing. Grimacing, she stood and tried to wipe her hands off on the car's backseat. It would need to be cleaned anyway.

"Damn." Axl looked down at the man, expression grim. "I thought he would, but…" Jennie nodded. They had both hoped the ambulance would arrive in time.

"We have to go after that car. If it reaches the city, it's lost for sure and certain. I didn't get the license, did you?" Axl shook his head, as they stepped away from the dead man and back towards their hoverbikes. Jennie frowned as she got back on her bike. This situation called for some cleverness. "If we just go and force them off the road… Axl, what happens if they use the woman and child as hostages?"

"Oh man." Axl contemplated that situation for a moment, and then grimaced. "And they're humans. We're not supposed to kill them." They could, and would probably get away with it given the evidence of gross antisocial actions on the offenders' part. But still… it would be difficult.

"We kill them if we have to." Jennie couldn't have lived with herself any other way. "Police Reploids are allowed." There was just no way to be a police officer without occasionally shooting someone. "But I was thinking. These guys are perverts, right? And we've got some civvies in our bikes." They had both brought changes of clothes, for when their shift was over and they returned the bikes to the Albuquerque storage unit. They had planned to explore the city before returning. "We could get ahead of them easily. I bet if they saw a pretty woman, alone, trying to flag down a ride they wouldn't be able to resist."

"Three being better than two? Maybe." Axl grinned wickedly. "Alright, get out those clothes so I can change!" Jennie stared at him, stupefied.

"What?" She was completely lost. Axl's grin widened.

"So I can seduce them into picking me up, of course!" He struck a pose that had probably been swiped from a Playboy magazine. One hand on his hip, the other teasing his hair… well, sort of, since it was far too spiky.

"Axl!" Jennie sputtered. "You can't… you… you haven't got boobs!"

"I can stuff!" He looked at her with shining sincerity. She didn't know whether to laugh or scream.

"You… your hair! Your scars!"

"Makeup! And you can do my hair, can't you?"

"Axl!" Jennie finally laughed, and Axl grinned. "You are totally unreal."

"You don't think I would make a convincing girl?" He asked, wounded, and then shrugged. "Well, maybe if they were blind… okay." He stepped forward to touch her cheek, and she blushed. "You be careful."

"Always." They kissed briefly, before getting back on their bikes…


	14. Chapter 14

Jennie touched the pendant on her necklace as she waited. It was a golden square with an upraised musical note, and was really quite pretty. Touching a pendant was something she did when she was nervous, and feeling the ridges of the gold calmed her slightly.

The Winnebago was in sight, and she tensed for a moment. Then she waved, trying to look demure and desperate.

It wasn't hard. Her clothing had been meant for a semi-formal outing in an urban setting. Her flats weren't as difficult as high heels, but walking on gravel was still a trial. The wind kept trying to do nasty things with her calf-length, crinkly skirt, although for her purposes a show of panties was probably all to the good. She was wearing an untucked, white dress shirt over it. Three gold bangles adorned one wrist, and a length of iron pyrite beads was on the other. The overall effect was of a young college student with a touch of hippy still in her clothes sense.

Jennie tensed, and waved harder as the Winnebago started to slow. It pulled over beside her, and a man got out of the side door.

If she had really been a hitchhiker, alarms would probably be going off. The man who had stepped out looked harder than forged steel. His hair was cut in an extremely unflattering buzz cut that made his head look like a pea stuck on his outsized body. His arms had been toned and built up almost freakishly, and Jennie assumed he was a bodybuilder. But presumably, even perverted rapist kidnappers needed something to occupy their time between victims, and he didn't seem like the sort to read.

But Jennie was playing the naïve little fool, with just a touch of desperation, so she pretended not to notice the way he was eyeing her chest.

"Please, sir, can I get a ride to Albuquerque? My boyfriend and I had a fight and he left me here…" She lowered her gaze, as if embarrassed by the circumstances. She had decided on that story as she and Axl were circling around the Winnebago, out of sight in the scrub desert. If the perverts were particularly observant, that story would explain her flats much better than hitchhiking.

The effort seemed mostly wasted. He gave her a smile that was surprisingly warm, and motioned toward the door to the back of the Winnebago.

"We'd be glad to." His voice was husky, deep. "Get right in." Giving him a grateful smile, Jennie did just that.

The interior of the Winnebago wasn't particularly neat. Jennie wrinkled her nose at a noxious odor, covered up incompletely with air freshener. Then she stiffened as something hard and cold touched her back.

She didn't have to feign a surprised gasp, although she'd been expecting it. It still came as a shock, being held at gunpoint, and she didn't have to pretend to be afraid. It hadn't been very long ago that she would have been terrified.

"Get in the back." His rough voice was hard, brutal. She shivered, following his orders. She didn't want to give him a reason to hit her… her flesh was much too firm for a human, and if he broke his fist on her he would undoubtedly figure things out. She wanted to make sure there was no chance of the woman and child being shot when she took them out.

He shoved her through the door to the bedroom, and she stumbled, falling to her knees. Two other women were there, and looked at her with wide, terrified eyes. She saw that she and Axl had made a slight mistake… they'd thought the child would be young, but she was actually a teenager, only slightly less mature looking than her mother. Both had bright red hair and green eyes. The mother was a bit on the plump side, but still pretty enough. The girl was beautiful, or would have been if her face hadn't been parchment white. Their feet and hands were both duct taped together, and duct tape covered their mouths to muffle any screams. The walls were enough to make most woman scream… they were decorated by posters depicting hard core pornography, all of it degrading and frightening.

"Stay there, bitch." She moaned softly, pretending to be utterly terrified, too petrified to move. Soon, he was duct taping her hands together.

"Please, I'll give you all my money, you don't have to…" She thought a protest was in order, and kept her voice soft and breathy.

"Shut up!" He snarled at her, raising his hand, and she flinched back. He dragged her over to the other two, with a little surreptitious assistance from Jenny. He still grunted in surprise at her weight, before letting her drop. Then he taped her feet together as well, and put duct tape over her mouth.

She waited quietly until he left, and the Winnebago started to move again. Axl would be following at a discreet distance. Then she raised her head, and yanked her hands apart.

The duct tape parted like rotten cord. The mother watched wide eyed as she stripped away the tape on her feet, but the daughter seemed to be in shock, lost in her own mind. Jennie crawled over to them, and tore away the duct tape from the mother's mouth. No doubt that hurt like hell, but there was no help for it.

The woman winced at the pain, and then spoke.

"Who are you? How did you do that?" Jennie started pulling away the rest of the tape as she explained.

"I'm a Maverick Hunter. My partner and I came across your car, and your husband told us what happened. Are you and Marjie alright?" They looked untouched, but that might not be true. But the mother nodded.

"We're fine. George, is he…" Jennie looked at her, unwilling to put the bad news into words in front of the daughter. But the mother evidently read it from her expression, and her face twisted with grief. Then she took a deep breath, calming herself. "What's your plan?"

"I'm going to go up there and force them to park. If they give any resistance, I'll kill them." The mother actually looked slightly relieved at that. Maybe she'd been worried that Jennie wouldn't be able to bring herself to hurt a human, even animals like these.

"Be careful. They have a shotgun." Jennie nodded as she peeled away the last of the tape. The mother immediately started freeing her daughter, as Jennie carefully opened the door.

The engine of the Winnebago was very noisy and would probably muffle any sound from her movements. She was still cautious, and stopped only to strip away her civilian clothes, depositing them on a moderately clean couch. Then she activated her flash case and called back her armor, grimacing at the feel of it on bare skin. Putting on her casual clothes had meant removing the jumpsuit that usually served as padding.

Slipping through the rooms like a ghost, she reached the front, and frowned. The door to the cab was closed. She couldn't open it without alerting them… then she shrugged and flung it violently open.

"What the hell- Holy SHIT!" The man in the passenger seat, the one who had brought her inside froze as a buster was leveled at his face.

"Pull over." She ordered in a voice as cold as liquid helium. The driver, a much smaller, weedy man, was already obeying.

"What are you, a Maverick?" The bulky man asked, face pasty white. She gave him a look similar to the one she would have given a cockroach.

"No, I'm a Maverick Hunter. One of the ones you two tried to run off the road earlier. But don't think I won't kill you if you give me any trouble." She didn't want to, but that was solely for her own benefit.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to doubt her. As soon as they parked, Jennie forced them outside.

"I have them, Axl." She spoke into the communicator. "Come in, I need you to tie them up."

_Your wish is my command, lovely. Be there in a minute._ She smiled at his reply… she could easily see his dust plume as he headed towards them at full speed. The mother of the pair poked her head cautiously out of the Winnebago. Jennie didn't move her eyes from the men as she spoke to her. "Can you get the duct tape?"

"Oh yes." She ducked back in to fetch that, and came out just as Axl skidded to a halt and hopped off his bike. Axl took the roll from her with a smile, and started binding the offenders, giving one a hard smack as he tried something. The man yelped in pain, although nothing was broken.

"The police will be here soon." Axl said as he stepped back.

"Do we have to wait for them?" Jennie winced at the thought of all the interviews they would probably be required to give… they would certainly be taken back to the police station to give statements.

"'Fraid so, lovely. This sort of thing doesn't happen much, but we're supposed to give local police full cooperation in stuff like this." Axl shrugged, then grinned. "Hey, it'll be air conditioned and we'll have coffee." Jennie shook her head with a small laugh.

"I suppose that is a bit of a plus." Then she glanced over at the woman and her daughter, who had both left the Winnebago. "Would you two like something to eat?" She had a sandwich, a few oranges and a granola bar in her backpack for lunch. But she could share it, and they might be waiting for a while…


	15. Chapter 15

Jennie looked into her cup of coffee distastefully. She preferred the fancy, sweetened coffees from Starbucks rather than the bitter brew they were serving at the police station.

But beggars couldn't be choosers, and she downed it with a single gulp. The whole process was taking about as long as she thought. They had been required to repeat their story several times and fill out several forms. She thought it was finally winding down, though.

But they were still being held. She wasn't sure why, but Jennie had an unhappy feeling she'd find out soon.

Axl was staring at a wall, his mind obviously ranging far and wide from his body. Then he suddenly spoke.

"Jennie? What was the first thing that attracted you to me?" He asked her, and she blinked, and then gave it some serious thought.

"…Your face." She finally said, then smiled. "I love your eyes, the scars… you just look so cute." Axl grinned at her, taking her hand.

"Cute? Aww, thank you. You look cute too." He said playfully. "But what about my other parts?" He guided her hand to that part, making her blush lightly.

"Oh, that's very nice too."

"Nice?" Axl looked hurt. "Only nice?" Jennie bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Well… that's a nice big handful?" She laughed softly as he grinned again.

"A handful… I like that!" He moved closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes. "You know what I like best about you?"

"No… what?" Jennie licked her lips. He was so close… his eyes were so green, so sincere…

"Your lips. They're so full… so kissable…" Axl suited his actions to words, and kissed her deeply. They explored each other for a moment… then broke up sharply as someone opened the door.

"Oh! Sorry to interrupt, but you're free to go." A young, female officer smiled at them apologetically. "If you can get past the crowds, at least."

_Crowds?_ Jennie glanced over at Axl, but he seemed as mystified by that remark as she was. She hesitated, then stood.

"Where should we go for supper, Axl?" She took his hand, smiling. "Any ideas?" They had the rest of the day free. Their patrol had been completely blown in any case, so X had decided to give them some extra time off when he got the full scoop on what had happened. Half a day's patrol missed wouldn't matter much anyway, in Arizona. It was one of the stablest areas under Hunter control, which was part of the reason why they were putting a new base there. Jennie suspected that she and Axl were being given boring duty both as punishment, and something to do until she had mastered the art of listening to her communicator in the heat of battle.

"Mmm… if you're up for it, I'd really like something Chinese. A buffet would be- GAH!" Axl flung up a hand as a light flashed in his eyes, and Jennie froze in shock.

_A crowd!_ Was her first wild thought. It was quite a large crowd, too, mostly made up of reporters but with a generous sprinkling of interested citizens. Axl and Jennie were both shocked as they were bombarded with questions.

"Ma'am, why did you stop…?"

"Sir, what did the husband say to you…?" After that, Jennie tried to ignore the questions. She didn't want to give an interview, and Axl seemed even less inclined. The crowd was obviously freaking him out.

"No comment!" She said sharply, trying to push her way through the crowd. It wasn't easy and wasn't quick, but no one was willing to actually prevent them from escaping. It was still a madhouse, and she tried hard to ignore everything around her except the location of the hoverbikes… she had to almost drag Axl through behind her. He was far more careful of the humans around them than she was.

_There!_ The hoverbikes! Jennie jumped onto hers gracefully, and Axl got onto his with more enthusiasm than normal. In only a few seconds, they had pulled into traffic, leaving the reporters behind them. Soon, her communicator crackled on.

_Kzt__… That was crazy! What was that all about?_ Axl asked, bewildered. Jennie grimaced, and then laughed.

"Have you ever heard the saying that one death is a tragedy, while a million is a statistic?"

_Yes… why?_ Axl didn't see the connection. Jennie sighed.

"This is the flip side. One million people saved are a statistic, while one person saved dramatically is a human interest story. I'm afraid we might be famous for a while."

_That's… appalling! All we did was stop some human perverts! That's nothing compared to what X and Zero and everyone else does!_

"I know, but that's human nature for you." Jennie grimaced again. "I'm just worried someone might investigate me and get an idea of who I really am." Her brother, David, hadn't released that information yet. They would both much prefer never to release it, or at least not until the human/Reploid transfer had become fairly commonplace. If that information got out, on top of what they had done, she might end up besieged. It was the last thing Jennie wanted.

_Let's hope not._ A brief silence. _So, who's going to be getting the new Jennie busters?_ Jennie was grateful for the change of subject.

"X and Zero… maybe the other unit commanders. That's about it." She guided her hoverbike down a seamy side street. There were too many pawnshops, too much grime.

_Only them?__ I thought the Jennie buster was better than anything on the market._

"It is. And the price tag is a cool half a million." Jennie frowned, looking around. She really had no idea where they were.

_Woah__! What's in it, rubies?_

"Oh, the parts are much more expensive than rubies." The Jennie buster was cutting edge, and as expensive as could be imagined. Achieving the extreme power in such a small package had meant using a special power generation system. That had led to a special, very critical cooling system. If a normal X buster malfunctioned when it was charged up, it would be painful and the injuries would need a great deal of work. If a Jennie buster malfunctioned when it was charged up, the medics would be picking teeth out of the walls. The armor was thicker, yet the whole weapon was thinner, sleeker and lighter than earlier generation busters. "It's not going to be widely used until it can be made more cheaply… Axl, do you know where we are?"

_Not a clue. I thought you knew._ She was ahead of him, so that was reasonable.

"Then we're lost!" Jennie smiled. "Let's pull over at the next intersection and get out the map." It wouldn't take long to figure out a good location to go for supper…


	16. Chapter 16

Jennie was making her way through a maze. A very complicated maze, rife with enemies and concealed guns. She ducked behind a corner, then darted her arm out like a serpent, frying several mets.

She jumped out, activating her dash boots, and reached a fork in the road. She hesitated a moment, trying to remember which path was the correct one.

_Go to the right!_ X's voice came through the communicator. Jennie started to do that… then paused again as the schematic she had viewed before starting the mission flashed through her mind. If she remembered correctly, the right led to a dead end. It was the left…

She finally decided to follow her own impulses, and jetted down the left passage. The simulation blurred, then went out. X was regarding her curiously from an observation deck.

"Why did you disobey my order?" He asked, his tone enquiring. Jennie threw back her hair.

"Because you were wrong. The schematic said that tunnel was a dead end." She stared up at him challengingly… and was surprised when he smiled.

"Yes, it was." She blinked at the agreement. "And that was your final test." X's expression turned serious. "Obeying a communicator all the time is just as bad as ignoring it. Sometimes, the person on the other end might be wrong or might not be up to date on the situation. You understand?"

"Yes." She said softly, nodding. She had come along way to controlling her furies. Now she could listen to her communicator, react to it, and even evaluate how good the commands were as she fought. That was a remarkable achievement from simply ignoring it.

X jumped down from the platform. "Your probation is over, and your friends, too. Feel free to go tell them… I'm sure they'll want to celebrate." Jennie blushed at his wry smile.

She had made up all the wages her friends had been docked from her own personal fortune, and X knew it. Or rather, he thought her creator had done so. The only one she had told about her origins was Axl, and surprisingly, no one else had figured it out. That was probably partly because it had taken her body two long months to finally die after she had been transferred. David had let everyone know that the transfer was lethal to the human body, but hadn't mentioned that the body could linger.

So the wages hadn't been an issue, and with probation finally over, they would be back in the groove for real combat assignments. It was a pleasing thought.

"Yes sir! Thank you, sir!" Jennie saluted X, then dashed off to tell her friends the good news…

Elsewhere…

A delicate, deeply tanned hand picked up a sheaf of papers. Black eyes scanned them quickly, bright red lips pursed into a moue of distaste. From her dainty toes to her long, lustrous black hair, she was a beautiful woman. Or rather, a beautiful Reploid. A thick, wine colored dress clung to her curves, modest yet revealing in its stark simplicity. Only her eyes hinted at her inner nature. They were cold, and blank, more reptilian than human.

A young Maverick stood in front of her, hands clasped behind his back. His armor was green with touches of lemon yellow, and his face was young and fresh. If it hadn't been for the Maverick symbol on his shoulder, he could have easily been mistaken for a young Hunter.

The last figure in the room was highly unlikely to ever suffer that error. A huge, hulking animal Reploid crouched by the side of the woman's desk. He was wolflike in appearance, but with a ratlike tail that lashed constantly. His fur looked ratty and diseased, and he constantly scratched at it. His unsavory appearance had always made him an outcast… to most people. The female Reploid lowered a hand to gently scratch his head, and he growled in pleasure at the touch.

"So… a way to transfer humans into Reploid bodies. How abominable." She chewed idly on one perfectly manicured, hard as rock fingernail. The Maverick in front of her said nothing. He privately agreed with her opinion, but that only made him less certain about it. He hated agreeing with someone he loathed in every aspect. "Hmm… and this." She picked up a second report. "The information on that new Hunter, the one who defeated Skie?" The Maverick nodded. He knew his mistress well, and knew what she would find interesting… but she wouldn't appreciate commentary until she had finished reading.

"An original creation by that same human… fascinating." She slowly placed the sheet back down on the table, gazing away as she thought. Then she began to pace. There was no sign of anger on her face, but it was there in the brisk way she moved.

The Maverick in front of her could guess the reason for it. She had once been a lab assistant. She had wanted to be more, but there had been no spark, no genius. He despised the truth of it, but most of the great Reploid designers were humans. There were only a few exceptions, like Doppler.

The fact that David Herkowitz was a thousand times greater at designing new Reploids, new inventions, was somewhere between mortifying and infuriating for her. Her subordinate carefully hid a smile. He despised humans just as much as she did, but still found the situation amusing.

"Still, this gives us an… opportunity." She said softly, patting her pet again and lightly scratching his muzzle. "It's vile, but still…" Her smile was ghastly, and the Maverick in front of her frowned to himself, then tensed as she began to explain her idea.

"It shall be done." He said mechanically when she was finished, but his mind was busy working through the implications… implications she obviously wasn't considering. Implications he shouldn't be considering, either. To even think them was close to betrayal of the Maverick cause.

But he had always prided himself on his honesty with himself. So he needed to think about it very carefully…

A few days later…

"And, here on the all Hunter all the time radiothon we are now playing-"

"Jeremy, get off the damn command frequency!" The platoon leader for the 16'th snarled over the communicator, and Jennie giggled softly.

She was standing atop the roof of a large industrial plant. In better times, it had been a jewel of the Chinese economy, employing nearly four thousand workers and acting as the centre of a small town. Now, the town was deserted. The shells of ghostly buildings still stood, just beginning to show the effects of neglect. The plant itself had been sealed neatly, and while parts had begun to rust it could still be refurnished and pressed into service.

Which was what they were there to prevent. This was a contested area, and they had gained information that indicated the Mavericks would make a play for this facility. It wasn't ideal, but it could produce low level Maverick drones with ease.

Jennie's mouth twisted as she thought about their mission. It wasn't critical, but it was almost solo and had a lot of potential to go wrong. They were bait in a gigantic trap.

China had written off this facility. With the legacy of their old Communist regime, Chinese companies were far more willing than many to accept the outright loss of contested assets. In return for some assurances of protection for its assets farther east, the company that owned this facility had given it over to the Hunters to do with as they would.

Twenty hunters from the 17'th had been assigned to 'defend' the facility. A platoon of eight from the 16'th had been chosen to lay a series of booby traps and explosives within the facility, as well as several carefully planned escape routes.

"The trick of this is going to be not to bite off too big a piece to chew." Sebastian observed quietly, hefting his new gun. It was another prototype weapon, courtesy of Jennie's brother. He had sent it for her, but she had decided it was just too large and unwieldy, but those characteristics made it perfect for Sebastian. It was a rail gun, shooting out slugs accelerated to hyper velocity. It was a cheap alternative to plasma rifles, but it still remained to be seen if it would be completely effective in combat.

"And that won't really be up to us." Jennie said quietly, and Sebastian nodded, scanning the landscape. It would all depend on how many Mavericks came in, how fast. The trick on their end would be drawing the Mavericks in while maintaining enough distance to break off and escape before the bombs went up.

"Ah, don't worry so much! We'll be fine." Came a very familiar voice behind her, and Jennie winced. She slowly turned around to regard… herself.

"Axl, please don't do that. It's somewhere between annoying and creepy." Jennie said wearily as the perfect copy of herself grinned.

Axl couldn't use his DNA copying power in most places anymore. As soon as the technique had become widespread, countermeasures had been quickly developed. By now, all the main installations on both sides were equipped with scramblers that made it impossible for Axl or any other copying Reploid to assume someone else's form. Even worse, perhaps, was the development of sensors that would detect some emanations caused by the DNA copying in action. Jennie had that enhancement, and right now Axl was rimmed with a reddish glow.

Of course, in the middle of combat, that sensor could go offline from damage or electronic countermeasures. So DNA copying wasn't entirely useless, but it was very daring to try. Right now, though, Axl could play with his abilities again.

"Oh, alright." Axl morphed back to his usual self, and Jennie smiled, giving him a quick hug. He returned it, then-

_Kzzt__… Jennie, you and your squad report back to HQ._ Jennie blinked, taken off-balance by Alia's voice over the communicator.

"Huh? Why?" She asked inanely. "Is someone replacing us?" Her squad was herself, Axl, Sebastian and Dagger. The Hunters had fairly loose ranks, but it was basically arranged in squads of four, and larger platoons as the situations dictated. Lieutenants commanded the platoons and reported to the unit commander. Squads didn't really have a leader, but tended to be identified by one person and everyone had taken to calling hers by her name.

_Replacements will be coming soon. Teleport back and leave the hoverbikes._ Since the battle hadn't commenced, teleportation was still possible. Jennie glanced at Axl, mystified, and he shrugged.

"Yes, Alia." Jennie said obediently, and called over Dagger. But she couldn't help but wonder what was up…


	17. Chapter 17

The mood was solemn when Jennie stepped into the meeting room. She tensed slightly as she saw the others there… X, Zero and Signas. It was pretty clear they were coming in on the tail end of an important discussion… and it had something to do with her. Signas stepped forward as she entered the room.

"Jennie, we have some bad news." He said matter of factly. "Your creator has been kidnapped." Jennie stared at him, her face turning white. Axl put an arm around her… he knew the truth of how much this would frighten her.

_My brother?__ Kidnapped?_ Jennie wet her dry lips, and managed to speak. "Who did…?" She had trouble imagining who could have kidnapped her brother. Humans could have done it for money, but in that case, why would the Maverick Hunters be involved? And Mavericks would kill, not kidnap.

But it seemed she was wrong.

"It was a group of Mavericks." Signas said grimly, looking at her very directly. "We called you here to ask if you know of any projects he was working on that the Mavericks would want badly."

Jennie hesitated, thinking about that. She knew several projects he had been working on…

"Maybe… he had one project, but he wasn't going to implement it." She said softly, looking down. "It was a nanite virus. If the Mavericks found out about it and thought he was going to use it, that might…" Then she stopped, hesitating. "No, they would have just killed him. That doesn't make sense."

"A nanite virus? What would that do?" X asked with a frown. He knew about nanites… they were the basis for Reploid auto-repair systems, tiny machines that were invisible to the naked eye. They could also be used in human medical care, but he'd never heard of a nanite virus.

"It would be a Reploid plague." Jennie glanced up at X. "He came up with the idea after his family was destroyed, but… even then he wasn't angry enough to do it. And he never found a way to immunize anyone against it." Signas blinked, and X looked rather horrified at the idea. Zero just lifted an eyebrow, slightly skeptical.

"You're right, the Mavericks would have just killed him if they'd heard about that…. Anything else?" X asked, and Jennie tried to think.

"I don't…" She suddenly stopped, horrified, as something occurred to her. "Oh no, they couldn't mean to do that! Could they?"

"Do what, Jennie?" Axl asked, gently touching her shoulder to catch her attention.

"Turn him into a Reploid and infect him with the virus…!" The Hunters in the room blanched at the thought. But when they considered it, it seemed horribly plausible. David Herkowitz had created the system to transfer a human to a Reploid body, and created so many new inventions and innovations in Reploid technology. Exactly the kind of thing the Mavericks hated in a human… and desperately wanted in a recruit.

If they were willing to overlook his original humanity, transferring him into a Reploid made him recruitable. Or rather… infectable.

"That must be it. Damn!" Zero swore feelingly. "We can't afford that!" Signas nodded solemnly as X looked troubled. The inventor was a great donator to the Maverick Hunters in terms of money and materials. And loosing his designs to the Mavericks would be a tremendous blow to everyone.

"What can we do?" Jennie hated the quaver in her own voice, but she couldn't help it. X stepped forward, patting her on the shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Jennie. We're already searching for him. As soon as we find him, you can be in the assault team to get him back." X smiled warmly. "Just don't let your feelings get away from you." Jennie nodded, understanding his warning. Her rage and fear could be useful if she kept it under control, but a liability otherwise.

"Yes sir. Thank you." Jennie saluted, and they all left to return to their quarters.

There was nothing to do now but wait.

Elsewhere…

Alia checked her communications panels diligently. Coordinating the efforts of the Hunters was a very important task, and she excelled at it. Of course, she often suffered from the communicators' bane… lack of information. Satellites did well to locate massive Maverick outposts but couldn't locate more discreet locations. And as the Hunters developed more measures to detect the Mavericks, they were always working to defeat those measures.

"Demodand, you're entering an area of occupation. Be careful." She advised a Hunter from the 5'th. A cheery voice answered him.

_Thumbs up, Alia, thanks!_ She smiled slightly at that reply, and went to check something else.

_Hunter,_ Alia started as an unfamiliar voice spoke in her ear. The internal network was supposed to be impenetrable! _If you want to find the inventor, try __Death Valley__. You might find something interesting._

"What? Who are you?" she said, stunned. The voice did not reply. "Hello?"

Alia checked her network, trying to find an intrusion but could only detect traces of it. She scowled… she would check that to find out how it had been done, but for now, there was something more urgent to be done.

"Commander X, I just received an anonymous communication over the secure lines…"

Later…

_Kzzt__… And I thought __Arizona__ was hot! I'm melting! Seriously, I think my skin is coming off!_ Jennie smiled weakly at Axl's attempt at comedy, but didn't reply. She was far too worried to be easily amused.

Under any other circumstances she would have been fascinated by the scenery of Death Valley. The heat was just as bad as Axl had said; enough that even Reploids needed to bring some water to refresh their systems. It was the height of summer, and heat waves were radiating from the ground. That was a little confusing to the eye, but the cracked, hard surface was extremely flat and perfect for hovercycles.

She and Axl were part of a six person team. Surreptitious scouting ha discovered the concealed, underground Maverick base in Death Valley. But given the nature of that base and the situation, Signas and X had decided that a frontal assault would be disastrous. A frontal assault could easily cost Jennie's brother his life.

So they had decided to send a small team. X and Zero were leading the way. Jennie had been taken because of her connection to David, and Axl had been picked as one of the best hunters in the 17'th. A crack shooter from the 0'th named Nexus was there, and last was a medic from the 14'th. She was a double specialist in human and Reploid physiology, and was riding behind X, clinging to him with grim intensity. Jennie hoped the girl would be alright. Her double specialties usually made her too valuable to risk in battle, so she had never done this before.

_Jeeen-nie__ Still alive?_ Axl sounded a little muted now. Jennie winced and keyed her communicator. She hadn't meant to worry him.

"Sorry, just thinking. It is really hot," she said, trying to make conversation. "We'll all need showers when we get back." Usually, Reploids only needed to shower once a week or so. The artificial skin and semi-organic components didn't shed or generate sweat the way human skin did. But things did tend to build up, especially during heavy activity or heat. Usually, that resulted in a smell that mingled plastic with a metallic tang. It was a longstanding joke in Hunter HQ that you could tell when a unit came in from the smell of ozone in the air.

_Did you hear that we'll be getting a hot tub?_ Jennie blinked at that. She hadn't heard it, and the idea managed to distract her momentarily from her worries.

"No. You mean for the whole HQ?"

_Yup.__ We're splitting the next rookie class with the new HQ, so the architects are figuring out how to take out a bunch of rooms and install a pool and a hot tub! Won't that be awesome?_ Axl sounded enthusiastic, and Jennie grinned. Right now, Hunters who wanted to swim had to take a bus or hoverbike down to the local YMCA. Having on-site pools would be far more enjoyable. _The new HQ was built with them, the lucky bastards. Almost makes me wish I was in their units._

_We're getting close._ X's voice cut across their private chatter. _Everyone, park the hoverbikes._ They couldn't take them much closer without alerting the Mavericks. Axl skidded to a screeching halt, and Jennie coughed as she took more of his dust.

"Axl, do you always have to kick up dust clouds?" She complained, and he flashed her a grin.

"Afraid so, lovely. It's part of my charm!" he said cheerfully, and Jennie shook her head.

"I think it detracts from your charm." She hopped off her hoverbike, and the other four started setting up a concealment field. Jennie wasn't certain how it worked, but it would screen the hoverbikes from most casual scans. It involved four rods set into the ground in a square, and would be entirely useless against straight eyeball detection. But it was the best they could do.

"Alright, that's it. Let's go!" Zero led the way, dashing towards the base. There was no cover in Death Valley, but the fact that the Maverick Base was so well concealed would work in their favor. The Mavericks couldn't run patrols without risking being found so it was unlikely they would meet anyone.

Of course, finding the entrance was a bit of a challenge. Their cover couldn't last much past then, but they wanted to keep it as long as possible and that meant finding the concealed entrance. Alia's scans could detect the base but no other details.

It took almost half an hour before their scanners finally found it. Jennie was gritting her teeth against her own impatience before they were halfway through, concentrating with grim intensity on her scanner.

_Over here!_ Axl's voice came over the communicator, and Jennie abandoned her search instantly to rush over to him. He was pulling open a hatch that led to… well, who knew? Soon, everyone was there.

"Okay, let's do this by the numbers." X started directing them, putting the medic second last, with Zero bringing up the rear. If something went wrong, the medic would need shielding.

Jennie closer her eyes, taking a deep breath, then started in. She had to do this right…


	18. Chapter 18

The young Maverick watched the human strapped to the table. He was slightly interested by the man's looks. Not that he was attractive in the least, in fact, he was quite the opposite.

But someone with billions of dollars in assets could afford the latest and greatest in bio sculpting. David Herkowitz could have looked like a movie star, if he'd cared to. But instead, he was getting by with what nature had given him. A large Maverick with an ostrich like form was fussing over him. The Maverick smiled to himself as he thought about how hard it had been to find a Maverick with any kind of human medical knowledge. Most Mavericks were only concerned with how to end life.

He shifted irritable as the ostrich brushed past him. The room was far too small for this kind of operation, but it had been the best available. His mistress was keeping her little project secret from everyone else until she could triumphantly display it to Sigma, and that meant few people could know what was going on.

But small or not, the equipment fit, and they were almost ready for the transference. The new body was strapped to a second table, with steel instead of leather. The Maverick looked at the ostrich again, and his right hand touched the buster on his left arm.

Then the base shook, and he swore as the dissonance of electronic warfare hit his senses. The ostrich panicked entirely and ran out with a squeak. The Maverick just gazed after him a moment, then laughed softly.

Stepping forward to the controls, he began to implement his own plan…

Jennie snarled as she sliced through low level Mavericks like butter. She was going to find the person running this base and-

_Kzt__…fzzt…Jennie! Slow…kzt!_ The communicators were suffering from an EMP bomb that had been set off earlier. Jennie snarled again, but got the idea and obediently slowed down to let the rest catch up.

"Woo, Jennie! A little torqued?" Axl said gaily as he reached her side. X and Zero had split from them, exploring other parts of the base while the last member of their team had stayed with the medic at the entrance. They would come deeper when one of them found something that needed her skill.

"You think?" she snarled back, and then winced as a bomb unexpectedly detonated near her. Axl used his copy shot, and then had fun throwing a few bombs of his own.

Then they reached a large, familiar door. Axl laughed, and touched his gun fondly.

"Ready to face a Maverick General, Jennie?" There was no doubt what lay behind this door. Jennie grinned, exhilarated.

"I was born ready! Let's do it!" They both reached the door simultaneously and jetted through as it opened.

The beautiful Maverick burst into the room just as the new Reploid began to stir.

"He's done? Good! Where's Split Ostrich?" she demanded of her subordinate. He shrugged.

"He split." Her glare at him could have taken the finish off furniture, and she didn't seem to realize that he didn't care in the least.

"Don't be cute," she snapped. "Have you infected him with the virus yet?" She quickly walked over to the David, who regarded her with horror. Very obvious horror. "He's not infected yet! What are you waiting for? We need to get out of here!"

His lips tightened at those words, and he made a final decision. One of the things he had always despised most about her was her penchant for escaping any situation completely unmarked. She might justify it by saying she wasn't a combat model but he knew the truth. She didn't have an ounce of physical courage.

"I was waiting for you," he said calmly. "And now that you're here…" He turned around, and leveled his buster at her startled face. "Goodbye, mistress."

She had just enough time to scream.

"What was that?" Jennie said, startled. A high, thin scream had managed to penetrate the room they had just entered. The big Maverick in front of them looked just as surprised… and far more concerned, glancing between them and the way out. He was wolflike, with an ugly rat tail, and Jennie had the uncomfortable feeling that he had the mange. She disliked the thought of touching him, even to rip his head off.

"Never mind it!" Axl said as he fired on the Maverick, who howled and leaped to attack. Jennie jumped back to avoid a swipe of a huge paw.

_He's FAST!_ Jennie thought as he managed to avoid several of Axl's shots. Her own were going wild, too, which was a truly great achievement on the Maverick's part. He had a nasty habit of seeming to be a little off from where he was supposed to be. Jennie's eyes narrowed as she suddenly wondered if that was literally the case. Some kind of optical illusion power?

She started deliberately firing a bit off from her target, and was rewarded with a yelp of pain.

"Axl! He isn't where he appears to be, he's a bit to the side! Try to the left or right!" The actual side seemed to switch randomly, so they would have a bit of trouble, but now that they knew the problem it wouldn't be too bad.

"Thanks!" He called back to her, trying to circle around to hit the Maverick from behind. Jennie gritted her teeth as she dived in, resigning herself to a long fight. This one wouldn't go down easily.

As it turned out, she was wrong about that. The other door suddenly opened, and a Maverick in green and yellow calmly stepped through. Behind him was someone achingly familiar, and Jennie felt as if her heart had stopped.

"David!" She screamed, and the battle paused as everyone turned to look at what she was staring at. David flashed her a familiar half-smile. He was unarmored, but carrying a massive cannon… something she had seen him working on at his house.

"Hi, Jennie." He said calmly, then turned slightly and triggered the cannon. The recoil jerked it right out of his hands, slamming it into the wall… the beam had lastly only a fraction of a second.

And had neatly punched through the Maverick General, who slowly collapsed into a heap of blood and mangy fur before his reactor gave up. The explosion briefly lit up the room.

"What…?" Axl said, confused, as he aimed at the young Maverick. The Maverick just looked at him, almost indifferent. Jennie was just as confused. Her brother had come out with a Maverick… was he infected, or not?

"It's a long story, but he's on our side." David said with a weary grin. "Can we get out of here? We can explain it later." Axl and Jennie exchanged a glance, then looked at the Maverick. They didn't trust him at all, but…

"Alright… this way!" Jennie led the way, while Axl took up the rear. On their side or not, they'd keep an eye on the Maverick…


	19. Final chapter

Jennie held tightly to Axl's waist as they rode out of the area. Just in case the Maverick base had gotten off a distress call, they needed to leave as quickly as possible.

She had given up her hoverbike to her brother, and she glanced over to look at him as they rode. The Maverick (was he really, though?) rode behind him, suffering the indignity of being a passenger with no expression. She tilted her head as she gazed at him.

He was really quite odd. His reaction to meeting X and Zero, and being surrounded by Hunters, had been complete indifference. Not that he was unaware of his danger in the presence of enemies, but more that he just didn't care. There was a _certainty_ to him that made Jennie think she understood how he could be a Maverick, yet uninfected with the virus.

It was an unfortunate fact that some Reploids joined the Mavericks of their own free will. The virus could corrupt anyone into going Maverick, but those who fought the fiercest against it tended to go stark raving mad. Those who folded quicker were deadly, but the worst for the Hunters were the uninfected. Sigma allowed such Mavericks to exist because they could be used as spies and infiltrators. Any scanner would pick up the Maverick virus, so the only way to get in spies was with uninfected Reploids… like Double.

Of course, that cut two ways. The Hunters could place spies in the Mavericks, but it was a grueling and dangerous process for the spies. But perhaps this Maverick was some kind of agent? He seemed so utterly confident in his own actions that she had decided he was some kind of fanatic. Capable of doing absolutely anything for a cause he believed in, and safe in his own convictions. What was that phrase she had read, once? _Kill them all and let God sort them out. I have no concerns about my place with the Lord._

Then X's voice came over the communicator… a general frequency, so the Maverick could hear him and answer.

_We're far enough away for a talk. What happened in there?_ Jennie's brother was the one to answer that question.

_I woke up to find him talking with the woman running the base. She wanted me infected, but he shot her instead and let me up, saying we needed to help you. The Mavericks had looted my lab, so I took a cannon I'd been working on and… you know the rest._

_I have decided to defect from the Mavericks, _came the calm voice of the Maverick. _My name is Trance, by the way._

_Why? Why are you defecting?_ X asked urgently. It was a very important question. There was a short pause as Trance considered the question.

_I was created by the Mavericks. I have always believed in the rightness of our cause. Humans are clearly inferior to Reploids in every way. However, I like to think for myself and I do not consider bloodshed and war to necessarily be the ideal way to bring the proper state of affairs about._ Jennie arched an eyebrow at that. He was pretty gutsy, to admit his convictions to X and Zero. _When I heard about this technique of turning humans into Reploids, at first, I thought it was an abomination. So did my Mistress, but I hate her guts, so I considered it further. It occurred to me that if humans can become Reploids they eventually will, since our form is superior. Eventually, natural humans will die out. Then, the world will be the Reploid one I envision… if the virus doesn't make it impossible for humans to take Reploid bodies._ Jennie understood what he was saying. Her greatest fear when she had been offered the chance at a Reploid body had been the possibility of infection.

As for the rest of his logic, she was appalled at his conviction that humans were inferior, but couldn't really fault his reasoning. He was quite possibly right. Reploid bodies lasted so much longer than human ones, if all went well. Who wouldn't want to be immortal? And humans might very well eventually die out, integrated into the Reploid population…

There was another pause as everyone considered that.

_I can't say I agree, but I understand your reasoning,_ X finally said. _We might be able to find a place for you as a Hunter, but you'll have to prove your loyalty._

_Of course.__ Any kind of mental scans you require, I will undergo,_ he said calmly. Jennie was surprised again by the young fanatic… mental scans of the type he was discussing were anything but painless. _But I have some information with me that you might find useful, about Sigmas plans and some current spies placed in the UN. Unfortunately, I could not get at any of the records about spies in the actual military organizations._

_Too bad, but anything you can give us will be appreciated, _X replied, and Jennie nodded. The UN was mostly bureaucratic in nature, so spies in it didn't really help Sigma too much.

Still, it was a sign that Trance had really changed sides. Or was Sigma just sacrificing the UN agents to place one in the Hunters? Jennie shuddered at the thought, then decided not to think about it. X and Zero had no doubt thought about it, and they'd find a way to deal with the possibility. She was sure Trance knew it, too, although it didn't seem to bother him a bit.

Soon, they had reached the depot they had gotten the hoverbikes from, and after storing them safely, they teleported back to Maverick Hunter HQ.

Trance seemed utterly indifferent to the reaction of all the Hunters in the area, who stopped to stare at the clear Maverick in their midst. Some reached for weapons, but a cold look from Zero stopped any incipient mayhem. Trance was escorted out between X and Zero, and Jennie watched, wondering exactly what would happen to him.

Then someone touched her shoulder, and she looked over into David's face.

"It's so good to see you again, Jennie." He said warmly, smiling at her. She giggled, and hugged him tightly. "Woah, careful! This body isn't up to much abuse!"

"It's not?" She blinked up at him, and he shook his head with.

"No, I got a chance to look at the schematics. It's barely a shell, something they whipped together in a hurry. I'll have to completely overhaul… oh!" David blinked then grinned as Axl stepped up behind Jennie. "You must be Axl. I've heard a lot about you."

"It's all lies," Axl said straight-faced. "Except for the part about us being engaged!" He hugged Jennie from behind, and she blinked, looking back at him.

"When did we get engaged?" she questioned him, and he grinned.

"Right now? Please?" he said, nuzzling her neck lovingly.

"…Sure!" Jennie said with a wide smile. It wasn't the most romantic of proposals, and her reply was even less so… but that was just fine by her. Wonderful joy filled her, and she hugged Axl tightly, giving him a deep, passionate kiss. She didn't care about the other Hunters walking by.

All was right with the world.

_Fin_

For now, anyway.


	20. Epilogue

The wedding eventually turned out to be a grand affair.

Jennie hadn't really planned it that way. In fact, she hadn't much considered what her wedding would be like at all except for a definite preference in gowns. She had been leaning towards a two-week vacation in Vegas where they could tie the knot. Axl had been into that plan.

Until they had both been convinced otherwise.

"Jennie, you can't do that! All the Hunters want to see your wedding!" Dagger said, aghast. "Really, we all do! It's going to be the event of the year!" Jennie had been a bit taken aback to hear that, but weddings in the Hunters were rare. And after her true nature had come out… she and her brother had finally decided it was time to release it… she was a minor celebrity with the general press.

"You really think so?" Jennie said doubtfully. The Hunters weren't the general public, and while she was popular among her unit, well…

"Of course," Dagger clapped her hands in glee. "The planning committee wants to get right on it." Jennie choked at the thought. The "planning committee" usually looked after keg parties.

"Do they have any idea how to plan a wedding? Gads, I don't want a beer keg at the reception!" That would be beyond tacky. Dagger smiled cheerfully.

"Don't worry, I can keep you updated on everything if you have it here! Please, Jennie?" Jennie's resistance collapsed at the puppy-dog look Dagger gave her.

Jennie discovered that the planning committee consisted of many girls, often with mutually contradictory ideas of how a wedding should go. Fortunately, they also had a leader with good sense, a human girl named Lindsey. She arranged compromises and, when necessary, applied whips to the troops.

Jennie could just go with the flow, occasionally making decisions on minor things like what kind of flowers she preferred. Axl sometimes added an opinion, which was how they ended up with tiger lilies in the bouquets. The effect was rather charming, white lilies and tiger lily bouquets…

Their only attendants were Dagger and Sebastian. Dagger was wearing a metallic silver gown, with metallic orange trim that she had picked out herself. Jennie considered it a fashion atrocity and thought it clashed terribly with Daggers pink hair, but she was quite sure Dagger was serious about wearing it to every party she could. She would never change her friends' taste, so Jennie just smiled. Sebastian was wearing a fine suit, the same as Axls', and Jennie couldn't help but giggle when she saw him in it. She could only imagine the tailors trying to find one large enough.

When the day finally came, Jennie gave all the arrangements a quick going over. There was no need for invitations… the whole Hunter HQ had been invited, basically, so the reception was being held in the auditorium. The ceremony was more private and was basically just her unit. The only invitation she'd had to issue had been to her cousin, who was flying in.

The auditorium had been decorated with tiger lilies and white lilies, and giant wedding bells. Jennie smiled as she saw that, than giggled as she saw the wedding cake. Most people would call it tacky, but who in Hunter HQ could resist a giant replica of the Maverick Hunter logo? The food was buffet, hosted by a very good catering company, and Jennie sniffed appreciatively. The garlic ribs smelled particularly good. The DJ was already set up and testing his sound equipment. All in all, it had the makings of a very fine party.

Someone tugged on her veil, and Jennie turned to see what was the matter. Dagger beamed at her, pulling her back towards the ceremony. "It's almost time, Jennie. Come on!"

"Right," Jennie agreed, and followed, pausing only long enough to give her gown a quick check. She was wearing a deceptively simple gown. Off the shoulder and made of silk, it was the kind of style that highlighted any body flaws. However, since her Reploid body was flawless, it was beautiful on her. A modest headpiece of gold and pearls had been bobby pinned to her hair, with a waist length veil flowing back from it. She was wearing matching gold and pearl earrings and necklace. Jennie's hair had been braided into her usual style, but was mostly hidden by the veil.

Jennie took a deep breath as the music started, and walked down the isle, her brother escorting her and Dagger following. It was all more nerve wracking than she had expected, after the countless dances she had performed in public. Jennie had thought she'd lost any vestige of stage fright long ago.

Then again, there were lots of dances. She was only going to have one wedding.

Jennie almost giggled as she looked at Axl. He looked wonderful in a suit, but he'd kept on his helmet. That was actually rather interesting, in a kinky way, and Jennie had to repress some fascinating thoughts. She smiled happily at him as she reached the alter, and he smiled back.

They had personalized their vows. Traditional wedding vows didn't quite work for Hunters, and even less so for Reploids. Duhallan made a quick speech, which washed over Jennie. Then Axl took her hands, and said the vows he had written.

_I will give you beads of honor and respect,_

_And string them on cords of love._

_That will be my gift to you as long as we both live._

_If sickness comes upon you, I will end it with honor,_

_Despite the temptation to join you._

_I will trust you with my gun,_

_And if you should go on before me,_

_I will write your name upon sheets of sky,_

_So that no one can ever forget,_

_The love that we shared._

Jennie sniffed quietly as he slipped a gold ring on her finger. It was a plain band, the most Axl had been able to afford, but it was more precious to her than the largest stone would have been. She took a deep breath, and spoke her own vows in a clear, ringing voice.

_I will hold you in my heart forever,_

_And cherish you until the end of days._

_I will treat you kindly and with respect,_

_Forsaking any others._

_If sickness comes upon you, I will send you into the light, _

_With all my love and despite my pain._

_I will trust you with my knife,_

_And if you should go on before me,_

_I will build a samadh to your honor, _

_So all the world will know,_

_The glory that was you!_

Jennie slid the matching gold band onto his finger. The kiss that followed was gentle and lingering. They finally parted, blushing as a few members of the audience whistled and the others clapped.

It was a beautiful beginning.

Samadh means memorial. In this particular case, "samadh to your honor" is a quote from Kipling and refers to a memorial built of the skulls of fallen enemies, to mark the resting place of a friend.

Oaths to kill each other if they contract the Maverick Virus.


End file.
